Close Relations
by darklight1735
Summary: Gray disappeared over a year ago, it all happened on a simple mission that went horribly wrong. Now, months later a mage striking a painful resemblance to the ice mage shows up knowing information about his location. With no interest to work for Fairy Tail's favor will the mage tell of the missing raven? Or is the guild doomed to remain with unanswered questions?
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Fairy Tail.**

**So I'm back for another adventure type story. I know this chapter is short, sorry about that. Really it's more of a prologue, except it's not "technically" a prologue so I'm not counting it as one.**

**Enjoy! **

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Golden morning rays shone through the stain glass windows of the cramped guildhall of Fairy Tail. A majority of the guild's mages were currently away, taking on various jobs according to their possessed skills. Others remained in the building, chatting idly with close friends or enjoying a drink or two at the bar, despite the early morning hours. A particular group of mages, a group recognized as the strongest in the guild and that were well respect throughout their town of Magnolia scanned over the request board standing on one side of the building. A certain shapely blonde haired beauty had mentioned a few words, or rather a plea for help, on paying her monthly rent. A prominent armored knight had remarked on her growing boredom and how a job might relieve her of it along with the tight money situation her blonde friend was in. Above all, a few mages, namely older members of the guild, were tired of the constant fighting between two friendly rivals and had practically begged for them to leave for the day and grant them a few hours of peace. Even if that peace wasn't tranquil, it would be of better quality than of what a certain fiery dragon slayer and a cold ice mage was allowing them now. Now four pairs of eyes and one set of cat eyes gazed at the panel holding jobs ready for grabs, not taking interest at any particular work available. Current employment opportunities were nothing short of being described as dull. At best they could accept a job that would only manage to make them laugh at the simplicity of it.

"Perhaps this one." A slim finger tapped one of the yellowed requested pages. The owner of was no other then Fairy Tail's Titania, Erza Scarlet. Her long, brilliantly crimson colored hair trailed down her back in long, straight locks. Her silver gleaming armor placed firmly on her svelte frame.

"I suppose so…" Lucy trailed off, brushing a strand of blonde hair over her ear absentmindedly. The celestial mage wasn't one for jobs requiring strength or bravery, but that didn't mean she was a fan of jobs that an Exceed could do by their self.

"Say Erza," the pink haired dragon slayer spoke up, the young mage being known as Natsu, or Salamander among some citizens, or the town of Magnolia's local pyromaniac. "Couldn't you take on an S-Class mission and bring us for company? We haven't technically done that yet."

"I hate to agree with him, but that idea sounds tempting." A pale skinned ice mage approved. He ran a calloused hand through his tangled raven locks. Most of his body was in contrast to the armored knight, as he was partly (as in almost completely) exposed. His shirt long forgotten and thrown casually to the side, victim of his recurring stripping habit.

"Perchance I will at a later date. As for the moment let's remain on lower rank jobs. I do not feel like dealing with you two and your questionable antics on a serious S ranked job just yet." The team's celestial mage let out a relieved sigh at hearing the scarlet's decision. S-Class was just above their heads at the time being.

Natsu grumbled something about doubt which the scarlet ignored. Erza plucked the aged paper from the board and waved over the white haired bartender, a silent way of telling of their departure. Gray obediently followed the knight out the door, not in the mood to put up much of a fight with her about such a low down job.

The three, now less enthusiastic mages, followed the scarlet down into the heart of Magnolia where the transportation hub was located. Train whistles split the air mercilessly and the screeching of metal on metal assaulted the ears. He fire mage grumbled something about motion sickness but with a stern look from Erza and a kick onboard from Gray all four, plus the light blue feline were now onboard, by choice or not.

After the train lurched forward and began its short journey to their destination, Gray finally bothered to inquire what mission they were doing. Erza silently handed him the flyer and Gray glanced it over. Happy looked over his shoulder and read along with him.

"Help! Wizards wanted to take down terrorizing monster." Happy quoted.

Gray dropped his gaze to the bottom of the paper. A rough sketch was done of the demon. "Is it me, or does that look like the worst excuse for a monster I've ever laid my eyes on?"

"Aye!" Happy agreed cheerfully.

Erza gave the two a warm smile. "Taking a little pride in your skills?"

Gray shrugged. "It's not like this is going to be difficult."

"I wouldn't gamble on that." The scarlet warned. "We've been on enough missions to know to expect the unexpected."

"I seriously doubt anything will go wrong." The ice mage muttered.

…

Gray ran a pale hand thru his tousled hair. A steady wind blew lazily through the dense trees and over the road cutting through the middle of the green forest they were in. After talking to the individual that posted the request, the four of them (five if counting the cat) traveled down a dirt path to the heart of the woodland. According to the proprietor of the request the prodigious creature was known to hang around that area.

"Find anything, Natsu?" Erza called over to the dragon slayer.

Natsu gave the air a few sniffs, breathing in the fresh air. A sharp scent reached his nose, sticking out from all the other smells mingling in the atmosphere. It smeeled of mud mixed with the unmistakable scent of blood. "It's coming from right over…there." Natsu turned sharply and narrowed his eyes menacingly in the direction the scent was coming from. Gray rolled his eyes; the fire mage could be so melodramatic.

Not a moment after Natsu's prediction a snarling, snapping monstrosity came barreling out of the thick vegetation. A large quadruped stood growling, a foreboding aura coming from its form. Sharp claws dug at the ground, uprooting any plant life that had made their home there. Teeth the size of Happy's wings were bared at the Fairy Tail mages. Both the fire and maker mage launched themselves simultaneously at the beast, each attacking the right and left flanks respectively. The ice mage saw a gleaming sword from the corner of his vision, indicating Erza had joined the fray. The creature snapped its head back violently and let out a piercing howl as a mixture of ice and blade cut into its side. In front of the creature Lucy summoned her celestial spirits, even Happy joined in on the fight, swooping down and giving a small kick to the demons head. The monster lashed out a heavy paw and came close to slicing the cat in two. Happy flew away, narrowing missing the blow by a few furs. A hind leg shot out and Erza dodged, jumping a few feet away from the beast and main fight.

The creature was beyond being compos mentis. It lashed out violently in all directions, feeling threatened by the continuous attacks to its body. A clawed mitt swung forward and smashed into Happy, knocking him out of the air. Lucy ran and caught the falling cat before he crashed into the ground. Evidently, the monstrosity possessed a brain. The beast snarled, detecting Lucy's attention being drawn away from him to the fallen feline. It lashed out, sending its teeth snapping at a distracted Lucy. Natsu jumped forward and shielded girl and cat from the approaching attack with a wall of fire. A high pitched whimper broke the air, serious burns covering its face, the monster turned away from the fire mage to face its next target.

Which just so happened to be Gray.

To say he didn't see it coming would be an untruth. He had seen the hefty paw aiming from him, aiming straight for his torso. The paw reached him at an unnatural fast rate. He wondered briefly if the beast could use magic. That was the only explanation. Animals just didn't move that fast. But this one did.

In a blink of an eye Gray found himself flying backwards. The force pushed him from his place on solid ground into the sky. He saw a few actions while he was in the air. He saw Erza plunge a sword deep into the monsters chest. He saw the monster arching its back and letting out a finally howl. He saw Lucy's eyes widened even from this distance as he sailed away from everyone. In the horizon he could just make out a town of two standing. He saw half the forest passing under him.

Then he was falling back down to the hard earth.

His back smashed into the tough ground and he found himself tumbling down a green hill before he could grasp that he landed. His own body refused to listen to his mind and stop. He rolled down the hill, smashing into boulders settled in the hillside, only to fly off those and back onto the slanted platform. His head slammed against something hard and a warm, sticky substance dribbled down from his temple to his cheekbone. His arm twisted under his weight and he felt the distinctive pain of his shoulder coming out of its socket. He tumbled across a sharp piece of rock, and a fresh cut was drawn across his unprotected back.

As his body tumbled down his vision blurred and images became foggy. Only colors could be picked out, but those were still swirled and mixed. He continued to roll downwards but at a slower pace. He could just begin to regain his sight and saw what he was falling towards. His eyes widened, his mind stupefied.

Because he was rolling towards an ominous emerald beam of light shooting straight down from the sky at a rate that and he couldn't stop by the time he reached it.

He tried unsuccessfully to dig his hands, heels, anything in the ground to stop his body. Thoughts ran thru his mind like a crazed animal from a predator.

_Is that light a beam of fire?_

He was closer now, maybe ten feet away from falling into the sinister appearing light.

_ Is that snow twirling in the fire? What…is that a vortex inside?_

Five feet away.

_Is this magic?_

Without further warning he slipped into the glowing blaze. Every form of magic he ever imagined bore down on his form, crushing the life out of him. Vision of the country landscape of Fiore disappeared in the bright light and he could only see blinding flashes. His breathing hitched and he felt suffocation closing in on him.


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own Fairy Tail. Okay, so this chapter is more of an outline chapter. It mostly just explains and sets up for the rest of the of the story. Enjoy!**

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A bright green glow surrounded him and the air left his throat involuntarily. His body felt like it was burning and thousands of needles were being plunged into his skin. A soft aquamarine light engulfed his form. His eyes widened at the light. His own magic was surrounding him, becoming visible in the green hue. Wild thoughts ran thru his mind, most of which involving if this would be his demise. He began to panic even worse now. He brought his hands together only to not have a single ice creation form. The idea of this light sucking away his magic occurred to him in horror. He swung his arms out, trying to grab hold of anything, only to discover there was nothing to grasp. The ground had disappeared from under him. His stomach did somersaults and it took everything he had just to keep his lunch down. Sharp pains shot through him and silent screams came from his mouth.

The next thing he knew he was falling in midair.

He plummeted towards the ground, his back facing downwards. All he saw was the brilliant blue sky stretching out for miles above him. The sky was perfectly clear, not a cloud dotted the dazzling blue surrounding him. _But it was cloudy a second ago, wasn't it? _ That thought was all he registered before his back hit something and he was laying on the ground completely stunned.

He let out a groan and sat up. He blinked, unbelieving what he saw. There had definitely been clouds in the sky a moment ago. A few creatures were flying scattered about the air, and they were definitely not birds. They were much scalier like a lizard but they had feathery wings and a beak. Even if his mind was playing tricks on him, he knew there had certainly been thick vegetation and a forest. Now he was in the middle of a wide dirt road and only a few trees were off to the side. He wasn't at the bottom of a hill anymore, he was on top. A few miles away at the bottom was a bustling city that beyond a doubt was not there before he fell into the green light.

"Excuse me sir, could you maybe…GET OFF OF ME!"

Gray blinked and glanced around, only to find no one was around him. Something shifted underneath him and he glanced down. A girl was face down on the ground. He wondered what she was doing there for a second before realizing _he was on top of her._

A blush spread across his cheeks at the embarrassment, sitting atop strange girls wasn't necessarily a hobby of his. He quickly rolled off of her, muttering an incoherent "sorry." The girl pushed herself up into a sitting position and gave him a glare. She looked about his age. Dark brown hair fell down her back in waves and sparkling green eyes were narrowed at him. Her skin was maybe a shade or two darker than his. A dark blue, almost black pendant with a dragon carved in it hung round her neck. The only odd thing about her was a bright red S was painted on her right arm. Despite that, Gray couldn't help but realizing she was overall stunning.

"Do you always fall half naked on people you don't know?"

"I try not to." He grinned, before jumping up. He reached down and held his hand out as a peace offering to her. She took it and stood up next to him.

"Well, thanks for the experience. See ya."

"Hold on a second," Gray called after her, recovering from his initial shock. The girl glanced back over her shoulder. "Could you tell me where the hell I am?"

The other gave him a look like he just asked what gravity was. "Where do you think you are?"

Gray shrugged. "Five seconds ago I was in a forest a few hours away from Magnolia. Now I'm here, wherever 'here' is."

"Where the hell is Magnolia?"

"Huh?" Gray stared at the other. Magnolia wasn't the biggest city in Fiore, but it was still one that was almost as famous as the country itself. "It's in southern Fiore."

"Never hear of 'Fiore' of yours, but that town over there is the city of Magnus."

Gray furrowed his eyebrows. "Magnus? I've never even heard of it."

"Good for you, I'll be going now."

"Wait!" Gray clamped his hand down on her shoulder. "Are you just messing with me? You've _never_ heard of Fiore! Where the hell are we in this world?"

The girl let out an irritated sigh. "Did you hit your head when you fell? Walk with me. I'll answer any questions of yours if it gets you to stop acting like a fool."

Gray shut his mouth and followed her down the dirt road towards the city.

"Okay, what do you want to know?"

"What was that beam of light early?"

"No idea what you're talking about."

"Where the hell are we?"

"Already told you."

Gray gritted his teeth. He wasn't getting anywhere with her. "Is there someone in that town more useful than you?"

"Hey, I'm not the idiot with no clue where he is here. You should be happy I didn't kick your ass from here into next week."

"Are you always this joyful?"

"Oh, how I appreciate your sarcasm. Now look here…what's your name kid?"

"It's Gray."

"Nice to meet ya, Gray. I'm Aino. Anyway, I'm sure you can find a map in town of this Fiore of yours, as for the beam of light, you're on your own."

Gray gave her a glare but didn't press the question. Maybe she was just uncultured or something. That was a possibility. How else could she have not heard of a freakin' _country._ A giant landmass isn't exactly imperceptible. They walked silently towards the city that was getting steadily closer. He had a silent hope that not everyone there was as clueless as this girl. She had seemed nice enough to begin with. Heck, if a half-naked guy fell on him he probably would have frozen them into a human ice cube. She just let it slide. But if this whole ignorant act was just an act he was going to be seriously pissed. He glanced over at Aino, only to find her staring right back at him. Or rather, his bare chest.  
"What?" Oh, how the irritation was practically tangible in his voice.

"What the heck is _that_?"

Gray looked down, the only thing visible on his skin was his guild insignia and his sword pendant that hung down. He didn't think she meant the necklace. "My you mean my guild mark? Why? What's so weird about it?"

"Why do you have one?"

"Because I'm in a guild. Do you not know what that is either?"

"I know what a guild is, moron. I'm asking you why you have a guild stamp. There's no such thing as a guild that has emblems."

"What?" A bad feeling began forming in the pit of his stomach. As far as he knew every country in Earth Land ran wizard guilds that had their own insignia. Some guilds like Fairy Tail were recognizable just by the mark. "What do you mean you've never heard of a guild with a stamp?"

"Exactly that. This whole world operates on a single system for all guilds. A guild stamp like that doesn't exist."

"This whole world?" Gray's mind went blank. That sentence simply didn't register. How can the whole world operate on a single system if a few minutes ago he was in a single guild? He felt his heart drop in his stomach as a certain thought occurred to him. "Are we in…Earth Land?"

Aino gave him a look like he just grew a second head. "Earth Land?"

Heart stopping wasn't an accurate description. It was more like his heart stopped and then was cut into tiny pieces and finally thrown to a stray cat for an afternoon snack. If this wasn't Earth Land, and it couldn't be Edolas because she would have heard of Earth Land…where the hell was he?

"Hey, Gray…are you okay?"

"Huh?" He looked into Aino's eyes and saw worry in the bright green orbs. She wasn't being indifferent like he would have expected her to be. Maybe it was because he stopped breathing for a second and she didn't want to deal with a dead body, but at least she sounded concerned. "I'm fine, it's just…Are we in a different dimension?"

"If you're talking about your Earth Land, that's not here. So for me this isn't a different dimension, you're the stranger here." There's the uncaring attitude. "But this word is called Arian. If it's a different dimension you're looking for I know someone who may know a thing or two about it."

…

He felt like a kid in a candy store.

He got distracted by anything and everything. Sure, there were some things that were just like Magnolia. The buildings were generally the same and so were the cobblestone streets. All the people looked like people, no weird mutations or other oddities about them. At first glance it could easily pass for a town in Earth Land.

Minus, a few exceptions.

He had seen plenty of weird creatures in his life. Take Happy for instance. He's a flying talking blue cat. But the Exceeds were basically the only pet he'd seen people have that weren't "normal." But now there were more weird animals like Happy than he could describe. Cats were mixed with reptiles and reptiles with birds. It just didn't seem possible. Then there was the-

"Gray, if you don't stop lollygagging I swear I'm going to leave your ass in the middle of the street and you can find this guy on your own."

"Geez, I'm coming."

Aino was giving him a glare similar to what Erza would give someone when they threaten to eat her strawberry cake. Now he knew, don't keep her waiting. Aino moved swiftly down the busy streets with the ice mage close behind her. After walking for a few blocks she stopped in front of a tall grey stone tower with a simple wooden door as an entrance. She practically kicked the door in on its rusty hinges and it swung slowly open. Sunlight flooded the dark inside and she entered, gesturing for Gray to follow her. A spiral staircase led upwards with unnecessary twist and turns thrown in the structure for whatever reason he couldn't think of. He took one last deep breath before ascending the stairs.

A heavy door with elaborate metal work was at the top of the stairs. A hasty written 'do not disturb' sign was posted across the wood and even from outside he could hear the sounds of thuds and glass breaking from inside. Gray reached out and grasped the door handle and rusty came off in his palm. "Umm, excuse me," the ice mage opened the door hesitantly. Books were stacked in towers and some stacks leaned together and formed forts. Whoever lived here made Levy look like a light reader. Papers were scattered about and had the same messy handwriting as on the door scrawled upon them. "I was told you may be able to help me-"

His dark blue eyes widened as a glass vial came flying towards his face. Gray dodged to the side and the glass container flew past him and smashed into a thousand pieces against a nearby wall. A red liquid seeped out from the vial and spread across the wall it just collided with. Smoke rose up from the liquid and a hole started to burn through the stone. Geez, if that had hit him he would have half a face by now.

"WHAT?! What do you want?!"

An elderly man who must have been around Master Makarov's age came out from behind one of the stacks of books. Wispy dark grey hair covered his head and a hefty cloak weighted down his shoulders. Thick rim glasses covered his cloudy orbs and the eyes behind them sent Gray a displeased glare.

"I was told you may know something about differ-"

"No, now go away."

"I didn't even ask my question." Gray mumbled.

The old man spun around and walked away from him. "Sorry about that. He's a little senile." Aino came up behind him, giving him an apologetic smile. "Hey old man!" The elderly adult spared the two of them another glance. "Can you give us a minute? It's for a good cause. You'll find this interesting."

"What is it Aino, and why did you bring a spy here?"

"He's not a spy. Herman, this is Gray."

"Hmm," Herman approached the ice mage and gave him a quick glance over. "Interesting specimen, is he for experimentation?"

"No!" Gray answered before anyone else could. "Look, I was told you may know something about different dimensions. I really need to get back to one."

"Back to?" Herman blinked his cloudy eyes. "Tell me, fine creature, where do you hail from?"

Gray took a step back from the old man who was way too close to his personal space. "Earth Land, now if you can help me get ba-"

"Can't do it."

"What?"

Herman walked away from him and opened up a dusty tome that was sitting atop one stack of novels. "Holes in the dimensions have been closed off. There is no going back."

With that the elderly man began reading and disregarded both of the company in the room. He acted casually like he just spoke about the weather. Not about a serious problem. Gray kept silent as the man ignored him. _Can't get back. _That can't be true. Fairy Tail wasn't here, so he wasn't supposed to be here. "Umm," Gray tried getting the matured man's attention. "There must be a mistake. I'm sure there must be some way to-"

"Nope." The senile old man picked up the book he was reading and sent it flying towards Gray's head. "The world of Arian started adventuring into other worlds a few decades ago. After to many failures and fatalities in other lands they stopped exploration. They closed up any portals between worlds a long time ago. I think another world tried something similar, anima or some sort of magic like it. Speaking of which, anima only worked because it was being sent to a parallel universe. Dimensions are different. There's no one who's an opposite of you in a dimension like in a parallel universe. "

The old man continued his babbling, spilling out all his knowledge on the subject like he never lost interest. "But that can't be right. I just came thru one. A portal that is."

"A few were left open years ago. They close on their own. Used one time and that's it."

"Can't we just open up another por-"

"Poppycock!" Herman bent down and grabbed a book from the bottom of the stack, causing all the ones on top to fall down. "Trying to form a portal would take almost every wizard on the continent, and you can't just stumble onto one as you did earlier. The portals were left open in other dimensions, not this one. You got a one-way ticket."

Gray's breath caught in his throat. Was this some sort of sick joke? No opposites either, which meant no Fairy Tail or anyone similar to his friends. "You don't understand. I _have _to get back home."

"YOUNG MAN!" Gray flinched as the old man approached him. Herman walked up to him slowly and had a lethal look in his eye. The senior walked up to him only to move past him and pick up the book he had thrown earlier. "Did you throw this book here? Guest should respect my property more. Or help me make a functional toxin. If you do anything else do one of those two."

"Time to go," Aino placed her hand on the raven's shoulder. "When he starts speaking of poison that usually means he begins setting fire to miscellaneous objects next. You don't want to stick around to find what he does after that."

She gave him a small tug and the two of them began heading towards the door. "He's kidding…right? I can't actually be stuck here."

Aino was silent as she led him down the spiraling staircase. "He's not babbling on about nothing," she began slowly. "Believe it or not, that man used to be one of the Great Three. That is, the three most powerful wizards in Arian. He had his moments but when he talks about any serious topic involving magic his mind becomes clear. So everything he just said…"

"Is absolutely true." Gray finished for her. "So I'm forever stuck in this world and will never return back home."

"Welcome to town."

…

"Who's the poor slob?"

"Hmm," Aino glanced over to where one of the old barmaids motioned to. Gray was slumped over at the bar, his head held in his arms and a large mug of beer next to him. After they left old Herman's place she had brought him to the local guild to rest his spirits. She had offered to pay for a drink for him and it didn't take much for the ice mage to let her, and the guy was going to indulge. He must have gone through three glasses of ale already and wasn't slowing. Not like she could blame him. The poor guy just had his whole life flip upside down. Alcohol must be a pretty tempting offer right now. "He goes by Gray. He seems well enough. Just had a hard day is all."

"Why don't you go cheer him up?"

"I'm not exactly the cheeriest person alive." The barmaid gave her a stern look that said 'no arguing' and 'do it or else,' which, believe it or not, was a very real threat coming from the elderly barmaid at the guild. Aino gritted her teeth in frustration. "Fine." She hopped up from her chair and made her way to the bummed out raven.

Gray had his head down, contemplating everything he had every done in his life to deserve this. It hadn't even been a full day and he was already tremendously homesick. He missed Lucy's joviality, he missed bickering with Natsu, he missed Erza's punishment, heck he even missed all the perverted old men back at the guild building.

A light tap on his shoulder snapped him out of his wallowing in self-pity. He lazily glanced up and saw Aino looking at him with concern. "Ya know, if you sit like that you're going to get a bad back."

"I think that's the least of my worries." The ice mage picked up his mug and took a long sip of beer, savoring the bitter taste.

"I hate to bother you while you're in misery, but apparently I'm on the welcoming committee. So tell me," Aino pulled up a barstool and plopped down next to him. "What are your plans now?"

Gray blinked at her. "Plans?"

"Are you going to ignore the part about getting home being impossible, or are you staying?"

"Plans…" Gray set his mug down and rubbed his temple wearily. "Earlier the insane guy said it would take every wizard on the continent to form a portal…is that to unrealistic?"

"Maybe just a bit."

Gray let out a groan and dropped his head on the counter with a 'thud.' There goes Plan A. "I guess I have no choice then…"

Aino rubbed his back soothingly, she didn't seem like it, but she had her soft side. "Perk up buttercup. Things may seem as bleak as your name but it'll get better."

"Did you just insult me in a joyful manner?"

"Yes, but I did it with good intentions."

"You're impossible."

"I try to be." Aino watched the ice mage in silence for a moment. Gray mumbled something under his breath that she just couldn't catch. "What was that?"

"What's on your arm?" He pointed to the bright red s on her upper right arm. "You asked me what my guild stamp was. Now I'm asking you, and why does everyone else have one if it's not a guild stamp?"

"It's a wizard emblem. Slightly different from your guild emblem."

"How so?"

"Well, you remember when I said this world operates on a single system." A nod. "Basically it means a wizard can walk into any guild building to get a job, that way they don't have to travel all the way back home if they want to go on another job, they can just go. Which actually makes a lot of sense considering a lot of young wizards tend to be nomadic. The emblem looks the same everywhere to prove they're a wizard. The only thing different is color, that shows what rank you are."

"Rank?"

"Did your guild use something called S-Class?"

"We did, my friend was S-Class."

"Well if the emblem is red like mine that means they're S-Class. From lowest to highest it's yellow, blue, green, and then red. After that a wizard gets a second S and that one marks what rank they are between S-Class and SS-Class. The highest rank would be two red S's."

"Hmm," Gray took another sip of his ale. He hated to admit it, but the magic system here made a lot more sense. The only problem was… "So if a lot of wizards are nomadic, I guess guild members aren't exactly family."

"Probably not as many as there are from where you're from. But some wizards tend to live in a single town and do their work based off of missions from there. I myself do that along with a few others here. It's more like a small family surrounded by people who come and go. On the bright side, we never have to worry about wars between guilds."

"Well, you got me there." Gray took a moment to reminisce about the war between Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord that happened a while back. In retrospect, two powerful guilds fighting wasn't the best idea. "Rank…that sounds like a challenge."

Aino gave the other a charming smile. "I know that face you just got. That's the face of a wizard with a goal."

"Well I do plan on getting back home, but that's going to take a while…maybe a long while. Might as well have something to do while I'm at it."

"Alright, we'll have you initiated into the system tomorrow. What magic do you use anyway?"

"Ice make."

"Hmm, I believe I need to challenge you to a duel."

"Me against an S-Class wizard. Somehow that doesn't seem like a good idea, maybe tomorrow, when I'm not so full of booze. Now tell me," Gray looked her in her emerald green eyes. "What magic do you use?"

"Energy magic. I know it sounds pretty lame, but it's a lot better than it sounds."

"How does it work?"

"Basically there's energy floating around in every little thing, from a shadow to a lit candle. I can collect that and use it in my favor."

"Collect? So it's not there anymore."

"Correct, watch," Gray watched as Aino moved his hand over him then over the shadow he was casting. The shadow lifted up and swirled around into an orb, before finally settling atop her hand. "Tada."

"I don't have a shadow anymore…"

"Ah, you will eventually."

"Should that even be possible?"

Aino shrugged. "It's magic, anything's possible with a little effort."

"True." Gray gave her a warm smile, his first since he first landed in this crazy world wide nut house. It was nice to have at least someone to talk to. Aino returned the smile, a real genuine smile. It was almost allur-

"Would you two just kiss already?!"

Both mages bolted up at the comment. One of the barmaids was giving them an impatient look that read 'I swear, I work here all day and nothing exciting happens, fix that.' It was almost the same look Mira sometimes gave people when she was in her mischievous mood.

Both Aino and Gray backed up from each other and averted their gazes. Though if they hadn't, maybe they would have noticed the soft pink blush coating both of their faces.

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**Okay, that's it for now. If you have any questions because that may have been confusing just let me know. Thanks for reading! **


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own Fairy Tail. Thanks so much for the reviews. Oh, and if anyone was worrying if Gray ends up with an OC don't worry, I mean, accidents do happen *cough.*Also, don't panic if the story seems to be getting of Gray as the hero, this chapter just works on setting up the conflict. Sorry if this chapter may seem confusing, I tried to clear things up the best I could. Basically there's a time skip but I didn't want to just say however many years later and then dump all this new stuff on you guys. I hate when authors do that unless they make it work really well.** **It's** **like saying "One hundred years later," well what the hell happened during the last century? Were the characters just frozen or what? Enough with my rantings, enjoy! **

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_Arian, Year Y461 _

If Gray found out one thing in his life, it was that if he wanted to survive he had to adapt.

When Ur had found him years ago he hadn't. He had too much on his mind and refused to focus on reality. That didn't end real well.

After that, he made sure to always become accustomed to whatever situation he was thrown into. He had joined Fairy Tail, and made himself apart of the guild until it was his family. There were always ripples in how comfortable he was. Like when Erza first joined and they didn't get along. But over time he thought of her as one of his closest friends. Or when Natsu joined. They had fought endlessly but that didn't stop the ice mage from getting past that and thinking of him as a good friend. When guild members joined and left he became used to it. When he and a majority of the guild had disappeared for seven years and finally returned, he adjusted to how much the world changed in those years.

So if he didn't try to adjust to this world then his whole life he would have been doing so for nothing. Even though there was a pain in his heart from being away from his family.

_Earth Land, Year X791, Three Weeks After Gray's Disappearance_

"This is ridiculous!"

Erza held her fist back from hitting the map posted on the search board in anger. If being a mage of Fairy Tail had taught her anything, it's that you don't give up on your friends. That was the rule she lived by, and the rule that she forever will. So when a nakama was torn away she refused to let them go without a fight.

"Gray was in this radius. No farther, even if he was we couldn't find him." The scarlet's eyes began to glaze over from looking at the map of so long. She was tempted just to let Natsu burn the forest down so none of the land features on the map would be in their way from finding their ice mage.

"You said you couldn't find a trail, correct?" Makarov sat at the Fairy Tail bar, a grim expression set on his face.

Natsu gave a short nod. "I could trace his scent up to a point. Then it just stopped suddenly for no reason."

The elderly man scratched his chin in thought. All this time and no idea of what happened to the ice mage had surfaced into his mind. He had the three mages and cat that where there during the incident to retell the story of what happened countless times. Each time hoping a detail they had missed would arise and lead them to the lost mage's location.

"Let's go over this one more time…"

_Arian, Year Y462_

A heavy pant escaped the ice mage as he exited the mage test that a demon from hell had created. Fresh claw marks were present on his skin and parts of his clothes that he was wearing were either singed or torn in shreds. That had to be one of the most difficult tasks he had ever suffered thru but a feeling of accomplishment rose in him as the as the test administrators came into view.

One administrator in particular was worth take noticing of. His now close friend and trainer for the exam waited for him as he approached. A smile was placed on her lips and she gave him a small nod, letting him know he passed. She slung her arm around his neck and punched him playfully in the shoulder. Aino had proven to be as loyal a friend as anyone back at Fairy Tail. She was a strong willed as Erza and as kind as Lucy. Best of all, she was as competitive as the ice mage. When she had received her second S he made it his goal to surpass her.

Thus he was on his way to becoming one of the strongest mages on the continent.

Another administrator walked up to him and calmly placed his hand over the green S on the ice mage's right arm. The guild stamp shimmered for a moment and the man took his hand away from him. A new crimson colored S was stamped across his arm, letting everyone know what he was capable of.

_Earth Land, Year X791, Five Week After Gray's Disappearance _

"Master!"

Makarov gave a weak smile to Lucy whom waved at him as soon as he walked through the guild doors. An optimistic grin stretched across her face. Her smile faltered as the old man lost his.

"What's wrong? What did you find out?"

The elderly man let out a long sigh. Other members gathered around him, hoping for the good news he did not possess. "I fear there wasn't a dark guild that abducted him in hopes for some sort of deal from us. I truly believe Gray's disappearance had no motivation to it."

Makarov's heart clenched as the faces of his children fell at hearing the news. They had thought they had a lead on the ice mage, only to find out it had been a sick rumor to get their hopes up.

_Arian, Year Y463_

"Don't even think about it."

A frown stretched across Gray's face at that statement. He had snuck up behind Aino and had planned out a long complicated plot to pay her back for all the "suffering" she's caused him lately only to have his plans foiled so easily. He will never understand how girls seem to know everything. "How did you know it was me?"

"Simple, whenever you come around the temperature drops ten degrees."

Gray let out a "tsking" sound and sat down next to his fellow mage. He watched as the other casually flipped thru the pages of an old tomb on ancient magic. Turns out that Herman guy had a lot of books stuck in that attic with him that were supposed to be lost to the ages. Course he only let trustworthy people borrow them. The ice mage had been lucky enough to have the old man lend him a book on ice magic once. Though the senile coot still had a habit of throwing dangerous elixirs at the ice mage at times, despite how well Gray was beginning to know him.

Aino finally glanced up at him after about a minute of his watching her. "What are you looking at?"

"You."

"Why?"

"No reason, just thinking for much you owe me."

Aino made a face at that which was actually quite charming in the ice mage's opinion. "Now why in the world do I owe _you_?"

"Well the way I see it, on the last mission you made me live bait. That was strike one."

"Strike one?"

Gray nodded. "Then later you let me almost fall to my doom into a live volcano. Strike two."

"Oh please, we both knew you had both times cover-"

"Lastly," Gray smirked and leaned closer to her. "You just ruined my ingenious scheme to get back at you. Strike three. Three strikes you're out."

"First of all, if it was so ingenious you wouldn't have gotten caught. But I'll play along. What do I get for being 'out,' as you put it?"

Gray's smirk turned into a daring grin. "I think going on a date with me would make us even."

_Earth Land, Year X791, Two Months After Gray's Disappearance_

Natsu rubbed his temples in exhaustion. Life had more or less been forced to return to "normal." Or at least as normal as it could get without a core member of the guild present. He, along with Lucy and Erza, had taken it upon themselves to be the ones in charge of the still ongoing search. They had been the ones with the ice mage when he disappeared after all.

They couldn't spend all their time on searching though. Rent had to be paid and foodstuff had to be bought. Taking time out to go on missions cut time out from looking for Gray. It couldn't be helped. The world moved on even if they weren't ready for it to.

But on his name as a Fairy Tail mage he wasn't giving up.

_Arian, Year Y464_

"They hated me."

Even in the dark night Gray could see Aino trying not to roll her eyes at his statement. They walked together down a dirt road leading back to their city of residence. He had been thrilled to meet her family at the beginning. But as it turned out her father was the epitome of distaste against human beings, especially human beings that breathed. He had a particular hate against the living ones. "They did not hate you."

"You're father tried to turn me into a human statue."

"That's just how he shows his affection. Besides, my mom adores you."

"At least one of them does. I thought your dad was going to have a heart attack when we told him. I can't believe you didn't say anything beforehand."

"About what? This?"

Aino held up her hand, a thin silver band was located on one finger. Moonlight gleamed off of a few diamonds that were set in the metal in a simple yet elegant design.

"You're unbelievable."

His fiancée just smirked at him. "Think of it this way, if I had early I doubt you would have been allowed in the house."

"Speaking of your house, why didn't you tell me your parents were loaded? If I had known I wouldn't have dressed so casual. It was like a museum in there." He wasn't exaggerating either. The estate wasn't as large as Lucy's family back when they had money. It was humble compared to that. But the home was elegance in its finest.

Aino shrugged. "No reason, and I thought your regular appearance was fine. At least you kept your clothes on the whole time."

"The things I do for you." Gray sighed. They walked in silence for a moment. A thought of something Aino's father had said came into his mind. He hadn't thought much about it early, but he was curious now. "So who's this Malachi you dad apparently says has to deal with me now?"

A groan came from the female mage at that name. "Trust me, the longer you can go without knowing him the better."

"Who is he?"

Aino was silent for a moment, mulling over how to start describing him. "Well I don't know about where you come from, but here we have a certain thing called 'guardian.' Though guardians mostly exist in wizard families only."

"Guardian?"

Aino nodded. "It's sort of like a family protector. He works as a protector for whatever family member that has him. Right now I'm the one who received the misfortune of dealing with him."

"Why is it a misfortune? Having someone looking out for you is great."

"Nah, Malachi is kind of an asshole."

Gray raised an eyebrow. Asshole isn't exactly a word he would use to describe someone who watches over him. "You're kidding, right? I've got to meet this guy."

Aino groaned in annoyance. "Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you." She reached behind her neck and began untying the dragon pendant always wore. Gray watched mesmerized as she laid the piece of jewelry on the ground and smoke began to rise from the piece. A bright flash went off and blinded him temporarily. When he could see again a dragon was lying on the ground. Yes, a dragon. He had learned they were as common as any other animal here but it was still weird to see them and everyone not panic. It was roughly six feet long and had light blue scales on its backside. Dark blue spikes covered trailed down its back, white scales covered its underbelly. It didn't have wings like most dragons would, just a long body.

Then a heavy tail lashed out and hit Aino in the back of her head.

"OW! Dammit Malachi!"

"Are you oka- Dammit! That hurt!" Malachi looked content as both mages rubbed their throbbing heads from where the dragon hit both of them.

"Serves you right. I hate being disturbed. Now why have you called me out for such a pointless reason as him?" Malachi pointed his accusing tail at the ice mage. Aino was right, this guy was an asshole. Even his mouth was impolite.

"So is he like a celestial spirit?" The ice mage kneeled down next to the reptilian creature.

The reptile narrowed its catlike black eyes at him. "It will do you well to not group me with a spirit. Unless you prefer you limbs apart from your body."

Gray gulped and back away from the creature. "Not quite." Aino answered. "You told me a friend of yours used spirits once, right? Well Malachi isn't the same. It doesn't require any magic to summon him or keep him here. He's independent minus the fact he's forever obligated to work for anyone who's part of my family. So congrats, in a few months you're stuck with him too."

"This miserable being?" Malachi gave the ice mage a look over. "Surely even you Aino could do better."

Gray repressed an insult he desperately wanted to throw back at the awful creature. Now he knew why he'd never seen him before. Mayhap if this had been back in Earth Land he would have asked Malachi if he was knew Porlyusica, they were both misanthropes after all.

_Earth Land, Year X791, Four Months After Gray's Disappearance_

Lucy traced circles on the bar counter. It was unusually quiet in the guild building. It wasn't a mystery why. Things where always quite now that there was one less member of their family. Not as much arguing happened and fights didn't break out that much. It was less lively here. The case had long gone cold, no evidence was left behind, whatever happened to the ice mage was truly a mystery.

It was like a part of Fairy Tail had been cut out was never put back in place.

_Arian, Year Y467_

A low morning yawn escaped the ice mages lips as he rolled over in bed. He stretched his arms above his head and felt his muscles relax at the action. He turned his head to the side and saw his beautiful young wife still sleeping next to him. A red and green S was visible on her right arm, just like the two S's on his. He snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to his body. He ran one of his hands loving thru her dark hair. The other he rested gently on her swollen stomach. He smiled to himself as he felt a small kick under his palm.

Aino blinked her eyes open lazily and gazed at him. "You couldn't have let them sleep? You're going to see them in a few weeks anyway."

Gray gave her a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I guess I'm just impatient."Aino let out a sigh and buried her head in the ice mage's chest. She muttered something against his skin and he had to struggle to hear it. "Could you repeat that?"

Aino smirked "Why? Are you losing your hearing now that you're an old man?"

"I'm only twenty-four! Not to mention the exact same age as you."

The other just laughed at him. "I said did you think about a name yet?"

"Hmm," Gray took a moment before replying. He already had a pretty good idea on the name. "You can say that."

_Earth Land, Year X791, Six Months After Gray's Disappearance_

Makarov smiled as exuberant laughter rang out through the guild hall of the Fairy Tail guild. His children joked and laughed around him. Enjoying themselves for one of the few times in months. After all this time of not knowing the answers it was nice to have everyone joyful once more.

The pain of losing one of their own was still there, but the guild was strong enough to make it through. They laughed, and smiled, and were merry. Just like the ice mage would have wanted them to be.

_Arian, Year Y470_

"Well isn't it Mr. Big Shot himself."

Gray cracked a smile as he was greeted by his wife when he walked into the guild building. He had spent the last week away from his family and friends to train and take an ability trial. Now two crimson S's were present on his right arm, letting everyone know that he was one of the best of the best.

"Congrats on making SS-Class." Aino reached up and pecked him lightly on his cheek, causing his smile to turn into a wide grin.

"I do believe I'm the better mage now." Gray teased, earning a light punch from the other.

"Don't get so cocky. I'm taking the trial next year."

"Until then I'll just enjoy teasing you." Gray felt a small tugging on the leg of his pants. He looked down and saw a small child of only three years staring up at him with wide, dark blue eyes like his own. Brown hair so dark it could almost be considered black in some light covered her head. Her skin was pale like his, but her features were finer like Aino's. Gray beamed at the small girl. He reached down and lifted her up, hugging her tightly to his chest in a warm embrace. "Why hello to you too, Ur. Were you a good girl while I was away?"

Ur nodded in response. She placed her head on Gray's shoulder and closed her eyes, happy to use the ice mage as a bed.

It was good to be home.

_Earth Land, Year X791 Eight Months After Gray's Disappearance_

Erza let out a laugh at her friend's antics. Natsu was brawling with every possible mage he could, claiming he could beat them without even trying. The guild hall was a mess. Chairs and tables were over turned and at times a mage or two would fly across the room from a direct hit. Lucy and Wendy coward in the corner, trying not to fall victim to a piece of furniture or person.

The scarlet took another bite of her strawberry cake and let the scene unfold before her.

"Aren't you going to join them?"

Erza looked over to the white haired bartender that asked the question. Mira cast her one of her famous caring smiles. "I don't believe so. I just find I'd rather not at the moment."

"Really? I thought you'd like to join in the fun. Although I suppose you're about to either way."

"Why do you say that?" Mira just gave the scarlet another smile before leaving to wipe down the bar counter. Erza thought about her words for a moment before shrugging them off. Sometimes the bartender could be too vague to figure out. The scarlet raised another forkful of the sweet delight to her mouth. She was just about to indulge in the sweet treat before something struck her from behind and caused the plate of cake in her hand to fly from her grasp and clatter to the floor. Titania stared in horror at the now smashed pastry. Her scrumptious treat now nothing put a pile of cream and sweetened bread.

Erza clenched her fist before turning around and smashing her fist in the mage that dared destroy her moment of bliss.

Mira watched as the terrifying mage joined the fray and made each and every mage regret the day they dared to mess with the requip mage.

Life was finally returning to normal.

_Arian, Year Y474_

"Why are there guards over there?"

Gray glanced over to where his daughter was pointing. A group of soldiers were marching down the street, making sure they were in plain sight of everyone in town. The ice mage let out a long sigh before replying. He reached down and took one of her small hands in his and pulled her along. "It's complicated, sweetie."

"But why?"

"Well," Gray took a moment to consider what to reply. How do you explain this to a seven year old? "Do you remember when we told you about the Great Threes and how they're the most powerful wizards, right?"

Ur nodded. "Uh huh, and everyone says you're going to be one someday."

Gray smiled down at her. "Well I don't know about that. What I do know is that one of the three is very sick, and people are expecting he'll have to say goodbye soon." A sad look crossed Ur's face at the news. "So because of that, mages are gathering to meet the other two, hoping they can become on close terms with them."

"But why are there guards?"

"You see sweetie, the three Greats are in charge of magic and deal with whatever problems arise in the magical world. Sadly, there's a rumor going around one of them isn't exactly a good man. That same man is gathering mages in his favor and using them for his dirty work. Some even say a civil war may break out because of this. Those soldiers were mages who worked for that man."

Ur was silent as they walked back to the guild. A thoughtful look was set on her childish face. Or as thoughtful a look a young child could muster. He hoped he didn't worry her too much. Even at her young age she understood a scary amount of what real life was like. At least he watered down the situation this time. She didn't need to know how bad the circumstances were becoming. He'll need to make sure Malachi kept watch over the small girl, just in case.

_Earth Land, Year X792, One Year after Gray's Disappearance_

Plue more or less walked across the table, shaking uncontrollably as he did. Lucy opened her arms and the celestial spirit fell into them. Happy was next to the blonde, munching gleefully on a fish Natsu had caught for him. No one was fighting too badly at the moment. They were just loud. But that was okay. It meant they were happy, not angry.

Lucy closed her eyes and enjoyed the peace of the moment. Life was good.

_Arain, Year Y481_

A young girl of fourteen years made her way down the crowded streets. A sword in stone necklace hung down from her neck, as was tradition to wear in her family when someone left to go on a mission. Located on her right arm was a dark crimson S. A guild was coming into view, two heavy doors keeping it closed from the outside world. She pushed open the heavy wood and stepped inside.

"Ur!"

Said mage watched as a small child of only six wrapped her skinny arms around the S-Class mage's waist. She reached down and began to pry the much younger girl off her. She wasn't one for affection.

"I'm right here, Tara, that doesn't mean you have to tackle me."

"But, Ur-nee," Tara gave a small pout. "I missed you. I only had Malachi and he was mean to me."

"Not my problem." Tara followed her to the guild bar where Ur took a seat. A blue and white dragon was lying atop of the countertop, looking very smug. "I thought I told you not to cause problems." The mage scolded the reptile.

Malachi cracked an eye open. "Why is it you may complain about being a babysitter at times when I'm constantly one? Honestly, human, I have no wish to deal with you people."

"Bloody dragon."

Ur watched as her younger sister struggled onto the tall barstool next to her. Tara looked up at her older sister and grinned one of those goofy grins kids have. This of course went ignored by the teenager.

"Where's dad? I need to give him the necklace back." There was that family tradition again.

"I think went to go see mom. Something about stopping by before he had to go to the regular meeting." Ur didn't say anything to that. For his sake her dad better hope the meeting went well.

"Here, you can give it to him when he gets back." Ur pulled the silver chain from around her neck and placed it around her younger sisters.

…

A lone figure stood in a misty garden of the deceased. Graves were lined up in perfect rows, each stone carved with a name. The figure walked over to one grave in particular. Two red S's could be seen on the man's right arm along with a green crest. The crest of the Great Three, which he wore since the day he became one of those three mages. He kneeled down in front of a grave and ran a hand over the cold stone, clearing off fallen leaves and water droplets. A sad smile graced his lips at seeing the name carved in the stone.

"Hey, Aino."

Gray felt his heart clench involuntarily. Five years and it still hurt to know she was gone. He placed his fist against his open palm and ice magic flowed around him. Ice began to crystalize until a bouquet of iced roses were lying on the grave. She always liked those, how the sun sparkled of the frost.

The ice mage sat down on the ground and began telling her everything that has happened since his last visit. "Sorry it's been awhile, everything just got so busy. The girls are okay, just to let you know. I think I'm going to have to go to the frontlines soon. I hope they'll be okay while I'm gone. Though I'm sure they will be. They're our kids after all."

Silence surrounded the ice mage as he sat there. Not like he was expecting a reply.

"The again, I guess that means they're bound to get into trouble too."

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**Again, if there's any questions just ask me. In case you didn't figure it out there's a time difference between the two worlds. Kind of like the celestial spirit world and Earth Land, except where Gray's at time goes much faster. Twenty-one years have passed for him and only one back at Fairy Tail. So 1.75 years for every month in Earth Land. **


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own Fairy Tail. So sorry for the late update, I've been busy lately (even though it's summer and I shouldn't be...). I'm also going to be bust next week and won't be able to update after Wednesday for a few days. 'll try to post another chapter before that. Enjoy this one! **

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"Are you absolutely positive?"

Gray's frown deepened as the man across from him answered with a lifeless nod. Wrinkles and age spots coated the man's skin; eyes drained of enthusiasm stared back at the raven. One hand was resting on a wooden staff, supporting the elderly man's weight. He looked as if a gust of wind would knock him over. Any one on the street would pass by him and assume he was just any helpless elderly man. The ice mage held a different opinion of the man, same as anyone who saw the green crest on the senior's arm. Without a doubt the maker mage respected this man beyond the average being. His old master, Makarov, and the other Ten Wizard Saint he used to know, Jura, combined wouldn't be equal to this man's power.

"I fear…Labhrás may strike us at our core soon."

Gray dropped his head in his hands and rubbed his temples, trying to calm the raging headache that was beginning to form. He let his mind contemplate every possible scenario that could arise out of this. They say wisdom comes with age, which had certainly proven true for him. He would always be the first to admit his plans were never perfect but in the past years he had become quite the strategist. His tactics had become legendary, and the skill it took to match his moves was close to being nonexistent.

"Leoncio…despite all the obvious motivations, what gave you the sudden idea he would attack out of the blue?"

The older mage scratched his scraggly beard, unsure how to go about his explanation. "I sent out a man the other week to investigate, only to find there was nothing to investigate. Labhrás has kept up all threats and assaults as he always had, but he himself has been in solitude from our eyes. What's more is that the type of magic we have usually found being used in his territory has drastically changed. It's more…_unnatural_."

"Unnatural, huh?" Gray folded his hands before him and closed his eyes in concentration, a habit he had adopted over the years. "Northeast battalion…" He mumbled.

"Hmm?" Leoncio raised a bushy eyebrow at him.

"Northeastern troops." The ice mage repeated. "We send a squadron in that direction and close off Labhrás' movements. From there we dispatch foot soldiers onwards to any trouble regions."

"You know what that means for you, correct?"

Gray nodded. "I've postponed having to leave them alone for as long as I could…but at this point it's unavoidable. I'll head out to the war ravaged zone tomorrow, the sooner we start this counterattack the better."

The other great mage bobbed is head in approval. "Very well, I trust you'll do your best for the sake of our lives."

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Makarov walked down the cobblestone streets of the town of Magnolia. Besides him a faint humming could be heard by his ears and ears of his children if they would have been accompanying him to the postal facility today. For the time being, it was just him and a very energetic childlike spirit. The first master of Fairy Tail spun, danced, and skipped aimlessly down the street alongside him. Makarov smiled at the always eager apparition before returning his attention to the envelope in his hand he had just picked up. His face fell at the address of the sender posted in the corner. How he knew that address, and how he had come to loath it in his years as master of the most unpredictable guild in Fiore.

Reluctantly, he tore open the sealed paper and pulled out the letter that was contained inside. Black, block text was printed on the page. An official seal was pressed into the corner of the document. The filed compliant was in his hand was long enough it could be considered a dissertation. The overall letter wasn't the part that came close to making his heart stop. It was the high cost of damage and repairs that needed to be made at the end of the letter.

"What is it? Another epistle from the council?" Mavis stopped in her humming and looked over the stunned elderly man's shoulder. Makarov tried to cough out a few words in response, instead his words stuck in his throat, refusing to come out while he was in his stupefied state. The specter let out a giggle and skipped ahead of him. "They're such a joyful guild." She called back over her shoulder.

The guild master snapped out of his horror and waved the letter around furiously. "They're a pain in my ass! Damn brats! Where did they get the idea to always go overboard? How are we supposed to pay this off this time? We're all out of funds, dammit!"

A handful of citizens turned and gave the old man a strange gaze, wondering who the nut was talking to. Mavis gave him a blank stare before losing interest and glanced around for something much more eye catching than the annoyed old man. "What's that?"

Makarov glanced up to where Mavis was looking. A large bulletin board was on display outside a magic store. People were crowded around it, muttering and pointing to a posted paper on the center of the notice board. The guild master approached the board and read the paper for himself. An evil smirk played on his lips as he finished reading.

* * *

Gray massaged the crook in his neck, trying to get the bothering discomfort to leave him be. He sighed in relief as houselights appeared in the distance, giving off some light in the dark night. Finally, after a long day's work he could rest for a moment, or at the very least, get something semi-warm to eat for a late dinner. At last, his hand rested on the brass doorknob of his home.

One set of dark blue eyes glanced up at him for a brief moment only to returning to the book they had been previously scanning, losing interest in the ice mage. He didn't know what it was, but there was something about teenagers that they all picked up a heartless, uncaring attitude. They only wanted to be left alone and refused to show compassion to those that held them dear. Gray smiled at his older daughter regardless. Maybe Ur wasn't as open as she was when she was a child, but to him she was still that little girl that he had to help with creating ice cubes.

"Dad!"

Gray beamed at the young girl that just ran up to him. His only other child reached up and hugged him. The ice mage bent down and picked her up, holding her against his chest. The younger girl was much more affectionate than her sister. He couldn't think of a time when she wasn't loving and kind towards everyone. He kissed her on the forehead lightly before giving her a "scolding" look.

"Isn't it past your bedtime?"

Tara giggled at the funny look her dad was giving her. "I was waiting for you to get home."

"Sure you were. So it has nothing to do with you still being hyped up on sugar from that ice cream you just ate?"

"How'd you know?"

"I can see the kitchen from here, kid. Next time, hide the evidence. You're making my job way too easy." Tara gave him an innocent smile in response. Gray moved over to the couch and sat down; Tara climbed onto his lap and cuddled up against him. "Glad you're up, though, I'm calling a family meeting."

"Does that mean I'm excused?" Malachi called from his position on the coffee table.

"You're still part of this family." Gray commented.

"Not willingly."

The ice mage ignored him and made sure he had the attention of the other two in the room. Ur gave him an irked look, probably annoyed that she had to communicate with another human being. Tara looked up at him with those warm, chocolate brown eyes of hers. Gray swallowed the lump forming in his throat. "Well there's no easy way for me to say this, but…I'm going to be heading out tomorrow."

Tara scrunched her eyebrows together in confusion. "You mean on a mission?"

"Kind of," Gray sighed. "It's a little more serious than that. More importantly, I don't know when I'll be back. It could be anywhere from two weeks to several months. But I promise I'll try to be home as soon as I can. Until then, I'm setting the ground rules to the extreme and then some, got it?" He glanced over to Ur when he said that. As calm as she could be at times he knew she could be the definition of recalcitrant when she felt like it. Ur just gave him an unreadable expression before returning to the volume she had been absorbed in.

"Got it." Tara answered. At least someone in this family bothered with words.

Gray kissed her once more on her forehead. "Good, now go get ready for bed." Tara nodded before hopping off his lap and leaving. After making sure she was out of earshot he turned back to the other two still in the room. Malachi wasn't bothering to even appear he was listening to a word he just said. If it wasn't how loyal he knew the reptile secretly was he would be wondering why the creature even put up with them. He glanced over to Ur, whom was giving him a displeased glare.

"You don't have to sugarcoat everything for her. She'll figure it all out eventually."

The ice mage frowned at her. "Let her have a childhood. She's just a kid; she doesn't need to know how serious life becomes just yet." Ur didn't reply to that. His words probably went in one ear and out the other anyway. "I'll keep in touch. If there are any opportunities to come home, believe me, I will. Till then I need you two to watch your step. Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."

"I never drag myself down to your level of stupidity, human." Damn dragon.

"Thank you, for your unselfish actions." Gray remarked. "While I'm at it," He turned his attention back to Ur. "No S-Class missions during my absence. I don't need you being away for long periods of time." Ur gave him a look of disbelief before slamming her book shut and storming out of the room. He couldn't blame her for that. He remembered when he was told not to do something back when he was her age. Of course it had been Erza who had always thrown those kind of orders out. That knight was scary enough that everyone listened to her though. Speaking of the scarlet, he wondered if she was just as terrifying now as she was back then. If she was a monster when they were young he'd hate to know how frightening she was now.

* * *

Natsu let out a cry of pain as he was thrown to the ground. Above him stood the most menacing wizard he had ever laid his onyx eyes upon. He held his hands up in surrender, knowing all too well that it wouldn't matter. The mage was no longer humane in their exploit. He saw a gleam of piercing silver and knew his life was over. "Prepared to be punished." Natsu gulped at his captor's words, probably the last words he would ever hear.

"LISTEN UP, BRATS!"

Natsu let out a sigh of relief as the blade stopped an inch short of his throat. The scarlet standing above him retracted the weapon and let the fire mage regain his composure. The knight turned to who had spoken. Master Makarov stood atop the Fairy Tail bar where he could be clearly scene by all.

"Every last one of you has cost this guild a great deal. The council has sent us a fine that if not paid will result in possible disbandment of the guild. By the looks of our funds, we can no longer afford to pay it off."

Murmurs rose in the guild, some of which held to tone of panic to them. Guild members shifted from foot to foot, their nervousness clear as day.

"However," the elder continued. "An opportunity has arisen that could be very beneficial to us. If taken full advantage of we could afford to pay off our debt and gain enough recognition that the council would never dare to even think of closing our guild."

All eyes were focused on the old man now. Anxiety was replaced with excitement. Mavis appeared next to the old master and had a flyer in her hand. "Tada!" The spirit turned the flyer towards the guild so everyone could see it. "The International Grand Magic Games!"

Faces around the guild hall fell and a few wizards muttered something about that being the worst idea they've ever heard of. "Is that really such a good idea?" Lucy was the first to speak up. "After last year the whole idea of the games just seemed taboo."

"That's right!" Cana shouted. "Do we really want to take a chance after what happened?" More protest of the event were yelled out.

"Enough!" Makarov shouted over the yelling of the guild. "What happened last year was coincidental. None of us would have gone had we known however-"

"Then why are we going this year?!" Some shouted.

"Mavis and I have already thought this through." Makarov added, not wanting someone else to throw in their opinion.

The first master nodded and opened her mouth to speak. "Magic power was stolen from wizards last year to power the Eclipse plan. But that was to power something for the country of Fiore, powered by Fiore wizards. Now we have wizards from around the world to participate. No country would try a stunt like that involving citizens of other countries. If they did they would risk straining their relationships and possible cutoff from that country. So you see we have nothing to worry about this time."

"It's still an awful idea!" Someone yelled. "With that many competitive wizards in one spot something's bound to go wrong!"

Makarov waved the statement aside. "I have no doubt precautions will be taken by every government that has citizens of theirs competing. Of course we'll take our own, just to be sure."

"I'M ALL FIRED UP!"

Everyone turned to the fire mage that just jumped up. Natsu had both fists pumped in the air and determination rolled off of him in waves.

"A little competition to show everyone who's the best? Bring it on!"

Makarov let out a relived sigh, someone agreed to this. "Now that you all have begun to come to your senses, let me explain how the games are different. Mavis and I have already looked into this quite a bit."

"First of all," Mavis started. "Teams are different. Instead of only five players we now may have up to seven."

"Seven?" Erza asked. "That right there will almost guarantee our victory."

Mavis nodded. "What's more is that different categories have been set up. The games in Fiore allowed only wizard guilds to compete. Here single mages may also compete."

"Hear that, brats? That means if you're not on our team you're still competing. We're dominating this year!"

"Single mages, huh?" Gajeel smirked. "As in we can gain the title strongest mage in the world, gihi."

"Like you would get that title." Natsu challenged.

Makarov sighed as the two dragon slayers started another one of their fights, which soon brought in more mages to it, until half the guild was in an uproar. Mavis sat beside him, giggling. "They're such a rowdy bunch."

"As long as they're in…" Makarov groaned.


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own Fairy Tail. Happy would have a fish feast if I did. Sorry the chapter took so incredibly long, I've been without a computer for a while. Enjoy!**

**Side note, maybe it's just me, and maybe I'm a little slow in the realization but this made me laugh. Some of you probably know them but there's an old band (from the 80's) called Metallica. Well there's a song by them called Phantom Lord, so of course I immediately thought of Fairy Tail when I saw the title. Then the realization hit me. Gajeel's old guild's name. Metallica = Gajeel's dragon Metalicana...**

**Either it's just a coincidence or Hiro Mashima has a thing for 80's music. Oh well, and yes, I'm going to mention this in my other story until someone tells me they see it to. **

* * *

"Master Labhrás."

"Hmm," A man in his mid-forties glanced up from what he had been working on. Salt and pepper hair covered his head and a green crest adorned his arm. His hard eyes settled on the figure that interrupted his thinking. A short man wearing a stark white lab coat was now standing before him. "What is it?"

The boffin gave a small salute before continuing. "The provisions are complete, sir. All that's left is to test it out. We only await your orders."

Labhrás kept his excitement at bay. "How positive are you that this is going to work? Or is it going to be a flop like it was years ago."

"Sir?"

"Never mind. But the question of this being safe for humans comes to mind. I myself don't care too much if this backfires on someone's life. However, if it only succeeds on killing someone then this whole ordeal would be meaningless."

"Understood."

Labhrás leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He could imagine it now. An infinite amount of wizards at his command. Men and women from every world he could imagine fighting for him. It was almost too sweet to taste. If this worked he would outnumber the others army in a matter of days. Just in time to. His numbers were beginning to dwindle. Which was exactly why he couldn't test this out on his own men.

"I have a subject or two we could use for this experiment. Get ready to fire."

* * *

"Food is in the pantry. Steak knives are in the drawer. Only use those on burglars though, got it?" Gray didn't get a clear answer on that, just a small giggle from Tara. That was completely fine, that was all he wanted to lighten the mood. Even if his method to do so could be considered unorthodox.

"Yep!" Tara gave him on of her countless smiles in response. The raven planted a quick kiss on top of her head before turning to his other charge.

Ur stood a few feet away, probably hoping the distance will save her from any goodbye hugs. The older ice mage pulled her in for one regardless. The teen stood frozen in his embrace, counting the seconds until she was free.

"I'll be back as soon as I can, I promise."

A train whistle sounded off behind him and a final boarding call followed a moment later. With a final wave the ice mage ran to catch his ride. He hopped on board just as the train lurched forward. Metal scraped across metal and the wheels began spinning down the set track. Gray watched the train station disappear behind him, losing view of the two most important people in his life.

* * *

Lucy let out a heavy pant as her chest rose and fell. She gulped in lungs full of air, trying to regain her normal breathing. An out of breath Wendy collapsed next to her, in a similar state. The only mage to not be in such roughed up form was the scarlet knight. Erza calmly walked onward, not having a trace of being winded after climbing to the top of Mt. Hakobe on foot.

"Why are we doing this again?" Lucy coughed out between breaths.

Erza brushed off a layer of snow that was beginning to form on her shoulder. Gleaming silver shone through, her latest armor. The celestial mage fleetingly wondered how the requip mage wasn't freezing under the icy metal. "For our training. We found out about the games too late and only have the rest of the week to prepare. This way our bodies will be physically able."

"How did the two of us get stuck with the hardest-hitting coach in the guild?" Lucy murmured. Wendy gave a weak nod accompanied with a whimper, indicating her agreement.

"Lucy-san…if we have to train with Erza does that mean we're participating in the games as well?"

The blonde gave her a blank look. Realization hit her with a slap across her face and overdramatic tears began to well in her eyes. How did they always get dragged into these situations? Couldn't they just leave these barbaric affairs to the flame freak and the metal eater?

* * *

Ur walked down the path outside of town leading from the train station back to her family's home. Her younger sister walked beside her, skipping from inset stone on the ground to the next one. Playing that silly game kids play where they don't touch the ground itself because they pretend its lava. After almost tripping and needing to be steadied from falling the younger earned a "Watch it," which sounded more of a command than a suggestion. Tara flashed the other a sheepish grin and continued her skipping.

The S-Class mage went back to walking forward, ignoring the younger. A high pitched cry pulled her from her solitude. She glanced over to see if the child had managed to topple over this time around. Instead she found her sister still standing, but with a very panicked look on her round face.

"What's wrong?"

The younger didn't answer right away. Tara reached into her pocket and pulled out a long silver chain. A sword in stone pendant was attached and hung down from glinting silver. "I forgot to give dad his necklace back before he left."

"That's it? You're worried about that?"

"But Ur!" The shorter girl bounced up to her, forgetting about her previous antics and going across the ground normally. "The person that goes out on missions always wears the necklace. It's our family tradition."

"Sounds like you messed it up."

Tara hung her head. Partially because she did 'mess up' and partially because her sister could sometimes be so cold. "I know!" She perked up when a thought came to her. "You can wear it, Ur. You go on missions a lot anyways." Before the older could agree Tara had already placed it in the other's palm.

"Can't you just wear it?" Ur groaned.

"I'm already wearing the pendant that Malachi is connected to. You can wear that one." With that Tara went back to her skipping. Ur hung the sword necklace around her neck and followed the younger back home.

A low rumble of thunder caused Ur to look up towards the darkening sky. Storm clouds were beginning to form in the air. A strong gust of wind came out from nowhere and blew her dark hair back. Ur narrowed her eyes at the sky. Those weren't normal clouds. There was something ominous about them.

"Tara, we need to hur-"

She was cut off by another blast of wind, this time the force of it pushed her back. Hurricane like winds were slicing past them without warning. She was forced to close her eyes from the pressure and staggered forward blindly. The unmistakable feeling of magic was radiating around them. She chanced it and opened her eyes just a crack. Ur's eyes widened even more at seeing the sky opened up and an emerald green light was beginning to bubble in the heavens.

"Ur!" Tara tried stumbling closer to her sister. With every gale she was thrown backwards and farther away from the other. A scream came from her small throat as a green light suddenly surrounded her. The feeling of being pulled upwards wrapped around her. She tried clawing at the ground to keep from moving. A sensation of being plagued with thousands of needles pricked her skin and she curled up on herself.

Ur coughed as smoke filled her lungs. When the black air cleared and she could see again the storm clouds were gone, along with the piercing wind. Everything around her seemed nothing out of the ordinary except for one thing. Where Tara had been standing a moment ago was an empty spot.

"Tara?"

Ur blinked and searched around her, hoping her little sister would pop out and say "Here I am!" Instead she found an empty pathway void of anyone but herself.

"Tara!"

* * *

"Ayyyyyyyyyyye **SIR**!"

Happy's small blue paw collided with the dark reddish brown punching bag he and Natsu had been using for their training. The heavy cylinder shaped bag swung a few inches forward before falling back and hitting the feline in the chest. With an "oof" Happy fell backwards and landed on the ground with a thump.

Natsu let out a laugh at his furry blue friend's attempt. Happy gave a small frown and got back up, brushing imaginary dirt off his butt. "What's with the ferocious attack?" The dragon slayer chuckled.

"I thought if I got strong enough I could participate in the games too!" Happy cried.

"Oh? So it's not to impress Carla?"

Happy stuttered a few incomprehensible words and if cats could blush Natsu was sure Happy would be bright pink. "I-It's not funny!" Happy yelled. Natsu just laugh harder.

"I don't think cats are allowed in the games." Natsu warned. Happy frowned. "Tell ya what," Natsu kneeled down next to the feline and ruffled his fur. "I'll compete for ya. First event I win is for you."

Happy grinned. "Really?"

"Yep! Fairy Tail is taking first place and there isn't a single mage in this world that can stop us."

"Aye sir!"

* * *

"Experiment was a success."

Labhrás leaned back in his chair, a smug grin settling on his lips. "Decades later and the operation of portals have finally proven effective."

"Umm, sire?"

The great mage snapped his eyes over to who had spoken. A group of wizards and researchers were standing off to the side, shifting nervously under his gaze. "What is it?"

"Well, sire, the lacrima we used to fire cannot yet transport large groups of people. Only one or two persons at a time."

Labhrás narrowed his eyes. That was certainly a nuisance. Not that he wasn't expecting pestering problems. "I've considered the possibility a difficulty of this sort would arise. In this case I only need the best of the best to join my army. Luckily, we've been able to watch other mages in other worlds via multi world communication lacrima that we invented. I found that a certain 'trail' has been established in a particular world that will do well to find these mages for us."

"Sir, I'm afraid we don't follow."

"Do not worry about that. Now, set the lacrima to recharge. Once it is fully operable I would like to travel to the other world for a short time."

"You, sir?"

"Yes, afterwards set it to the second planned target. Once they are in the other world with me I would like to strike a deal with them. Eventually bring me back here."

"Sir, making a deal with the chosen target…that would be a family member to your top enemy! May I ask what exactly are you planning?"

Labhrás grin turned into a sly smile. "As it stands I myself cannot waste precious time looking for mages worthy enough to fight under me. This will all work out in the end. Just wait."

* * *

Ur pushed past the thorny bushes and low hanging tree branches. She had called out frequently for the missing child, hoping she had been blown back into the nearby underbrush. She had only managed to make her voice hoarse. All she had found was dread.

"Tara!" her voice was met with only an echo. "Tara! Where are you?!"

Ur muttered curses as she pushed past another thorn bush. Tara was her responsibility, dammit. She couldn't even take care of her for a day before everything went to hell.

"Tara!" This time a sound responded, interestingly enough, it was a low rumble. Ur glanced up to the darkening sky. A strong wind picked up once more and trepidation came over her. When the feeling of magic being present engulfed her she knew what was coming.

It wasn't as reckless as it was last time, more precise. Large too, she couldn't have outrun it even if she tried. She was immersed with green light and the air left her throat.

* * *

Gray stretched his weary muscles as he stepped off the train. He slung his duffle bag over his shoulder and glanced around. His dark blue eyes landed on a group of men standing to the side of the station. They were dressed in the uniform his magic battalion. He let out a sigh and made his way over to them. Here went nothing and everything.


	6. Chapter 6

**I do not own Fairy Tail. Personally if I did Lily would have more dialogue.**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Tara let out a small groan as she came to. The back of her head throbbed and something cold was around her wrists. Her back was against a rough wall feeling of brick instead of the open air. She blinked open her eyes to find her vision had gone blurry. It was dark, when she swore it was daytime only a few seconds ago.

"Ur?" Tara called out experimentally. The sound of water dripping was her reply. "Ur-nee…where are you?" She reached out, trying to feel if anything was there. The clinking of metal on metal sounded as she did. On top of that it was hard to move, her arms were weighed down and after a certain distance she couldn't move forward. She patted her wrists where she felt the cold touch and found a metal cuff around both of them.

A dim light appeared a distance away. The young girl squinted and tried to make out where it was coming from. She wasn't sure, but she thought it was getting closer. The light wasn't steady, it flickered rapidly and had a bright orangey-yellow color to it.

"Hello?" Again, no reply. The light was definitely closer though. "Can you help me? I'm not sure where I am."

She could start to make out distinct shapes as the light approached. Dark grey walls were illuminated and showed she was in a dark, dank hallway. She easily recognized the light to be a torch after a time. The dim glow outlined the face of man a few years older than her dad. A long cloak was around his shoulders and flowed over him, covering most of his body. A look of distaste was placed on his face when he glanced down at her.

"I see you're still breathing. Relieving, considering I need you still alive."

"Huh?" Tara gave the man a funny look. "Do I know you? Can you take these off? They kind of hurt." She jingled the chain keeping her in place to show what she meant.

The man scowled at her. He really hated children. He hated people period. But he found children especially disgusting. All was well, at least. His hostage for this whole scenario was present and living, that completed phase one. He had brought her here earlier to make sure she was properly locked up, he only bothered to come back to give a final glance over before departing to start phase two.

"I'd prefer not to do so." He walked over to a post on one of the walls of the cell they were in. He placed the torch in iron loops bolted on the post. The room now had a light source for them. "I'll be going now. Struggle if you want, it won't do you any good."

Tara gazed up at the stranger. "So you're not going to help me?"

"You don't understand you situation, do you?" He set his hard eyes on her. "I suppose that small brain of yours can't comprehend it."

Tara frowned. "That wasn't very nice." The man just shrugged and turned to make his leave. Tara settled her back against the wall and pulled her knees up to her chest. The man's cloak swished about him when he turned and a green symbol on his arm caught her eye.

"Is that the Great Three emblem?"

The man stopped in his tracks and glanced back at her.

"My daddy has one of those. Mr. Leoncio had one too when I met him. You must be the one that my daddy doesn't like. What did he call you again? A cosindia? Coccynda?"

"Coccydynia."

"That's it!"

Labhrás narrowed his eyes at her before resuming his departure. Yet people wondered why he didn't like kids.

* * *

Ur toppled to the hard ground. She reached her hands out in an attempt to break the fall. How she managed o even fall was beyond her when she standing just a moment ago. All she remembered was a sickly green light and an intense pain. Both had faded away after a time and now she was wherever the hell she was.

She made her way to her feet and glanced around. She was in the middle of a clearing with tall grass that reached her middle. A few miles away she could make out a large city. Buildings were clustered about and she could faintly make out people moving around. Granted, she was young. But in all her years as traveling as a mage she had never seen this town before.

"Ah, there you are."

Ur spun around to see a man with salt and pepper hair coming towards her. On instinct she took a defensive stance and placed her fist on her opposite hand. The temperature around her dropped ten degrees. "What the hell do you want?!"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Is that anyway to talk to your superior." The younger mage didn't say anything, just let the temperature continue to plummet. "Now, Ur, drop your stance and let us talk like civilized people. I know you of all people could manage that."

"Answer the damn question." Ur let all her magic flow to her hands. Like hell she'll be civilized with this animal.

"Just a friendly deal. I have a request for you."

"As if I'd make a deal with a murderer."

Labhrás frowned. "What an impolite thing to say. Did your father raise you to be so disrespectful? Now drop the stance. I'm decades above your level anyway." The older waited for the cold air to die down. After a few moments of not getting his desired result he sighed. "As stubborn as your father, I see. Very well."

He raised one hand and let his own magical energy flow to his palm. A black cloud of magic began to form. The energy danced on his palm for a moment before suddenly flying outward. Ur clenched her teeth as the magic struck her body and swirled around her like a rope. Her hands were forced apart and her own magic stopped flowing. Labhrás flicked his wrist and sent another wave of power towards her. This one hit her in her stomach and she crumpled to her knees on impact.

Labhrás leisurely strolled up to the now captive mage. "Couldn't even get a blow in. Don't feel too bad, though, your father can't beat me either." He kneeled down next to her. "Now, let's talk. One mage to another."

Ur glared up at him.

"Glad to have your attention. For starters, see that city over there, will that city is in a wonderful world apart from ours. Full of young, fresh, and talented wizards from all over. Beginning tomorrow tryouts will be held there to see who is capable of being one of this world's top wizards. Exciting, no? The day after tomorrow begins an event known as the Grand Magic Games. I'll be needing you to pass evaluation and enter those games. Once you're in your job is to fight as many mages as you can."

"Why would I do _that_!"

"Why? To help me out of course. I'm looking for wizards to fight for me. I can't watch to see which wizards are the best myself, I'm far too busy nowadays with trying to kill your father and all. Then the other day I had a thought. Have a highly skilled mage, such as yourself, do it for me. If they can't beat a little girl like you they aren't worthy to fight for me."

"Not interested." Ur growled. She mentally cursed herself. One of the most powerful, deadly wizards to ever exist was right in front of her and she couldn't do anything. She struggled helplessly against her bonds. An electric shock hit her when she tried to summon her magic. Her body convulsed at she coughed out blood.

Labhrás smiled down at her. "I thought you'd say that. That's will I took precautions. I know you're not worried for yourself, but are you willing to gamble your sister's life?" The mage stopped struggling and stared at him with an icy gaze. "I'll take that as a no. So here's our little deal. You compete for me, and if you succeed in making it to the top competitors then I will give you your sister back. But if I think for a moment you were not giving your all I'll kill her. Or if you tell a soul about our meeting or who either of us are, I'll kill her. Understand?"

Ur dropped her gaze to the ground. She gritted her teeth in anger. Help the most unpleasant being to walk the earth or get her sister killed? There wasn't even an option there. "Is she okay? Tara, I mean."

"Of course she is."

"Let me see her."

"You don't believe me? Then you'll have to take my word. Perhaps I'll let you visit her later on." Labhrás reached down and tilted her chin up so he could look her in her eyes. Granted, he could just kill both of the girls if he wanted. That would no doubt tear Gray apart. But this was better. With an army of mages he would crush that ice mage and everyone else who went defied him.

"So…do we have a deal?"

* * *

"This would be out current camp, sir."

Gray glanced around at the pitched tents and poorly made shacks. The sun was just starting to disappear over the horizon. The remaining light cast a red glow on the dusty ground. Weary men and a few sparse women walked about with looks of dejection placed on their faces. Some limped, being helped out with an arm slung over the shoulder of someone else. Others rushed about, trying to finish their assigned tasks.

"Why are the wounded still located here?" Gray turned to one of the men who was at the train station earlier.

"They're not scheduled to leave home until the eastern troops arrive tomorrow. Unless it's an emergency they stay here."

"But they will be taken back?"

"Yes, sir."

The raven nodded his approval before sauntering around the encampment. His heart gave a twist every time he saw he saw a combatant with harm done to them, regardless of the criticality. The youths were the worst. He saw them when they first joined. Their energy and determination was boundless. Now they lay with torn flesh and ragged wounds. He felt the back of his throat burn when he walked past a tent with a doctor covering the face of a kid no more than nineteen with a bed sheet. He rubbed his tired eyes in glum. When did things get this bad?

He watch in silence as a nurse came out of a supply tent carrying a worn out sleeping bag. She spread it out on the hard dirt ground and finally placed a pillow not even an inch thick at the end.

"Sir, your tent is ready."

"Hmm," The ice mage didn't bother to turn who had spoken. He remained an onlooker as he watched the scene in front of him unfold in mild curiosity. Another nurse was leading a patient from the infirmary tent to the sleeping bag. The patient had a thick dressing wrapped around his leg and dark red spots were coating the fabric. "I won't be sleeping there tonight."

The subordinate made sort of a choking sound. Gray didn't need to look at him to know he was gawking. "S-sir?!"

"Tents for higher ups tend to be quite large if I'm not mistaken. I believe you can get at least three good men in there for the night. Give the one in the worst shape the cot." He strolled over to the man currently being taken to the sleeping accommodation. The nurse looked up at him shocked as he wrapped a firm arm around the patient's waist. "Change of plans for you tonight, mate. A tent just opened up in the middle of camp. Can you make it on that leg?"

The patient turned his head up to stare at him. Astonishment was clear in his eyes. "Ye-yes, sir."

Gray gave him a reassuring smile before helping him limp forward. The subordinate, unsure what to do, dumbly followed. The lesser rank stared at the great mage's back as they walked. He had only ever heard rumors and had been unsure if they were true. Now seeing the ice mage for the first time he immediately knew that they were. Gray Fullbuster had proven to be as kind as they say he is.

* * *

Lucy rubbed her sore butt as she stepped off the train. Eight hours of sitting on stiff seats and dealing with a motion sick dragon slayer. Just how any girl wanted to spend her day. Natsu slumped off the train behind her, not yet fully recovered from his nausea. The fire mage collapsed to the ground and let out a soft moan.

"Honestly, Natsu, show more dignity than that." Erza scolded, stepping off next.

"Wendy wouldn't cast troia…" The dragon slayer grumbled.

The blue haired dragon slayer offered an innocent smile in apology. "Sorry Natsu-san, it'll have no effect on you if I continue casting it. Not to mention Master said not to."

"Darn old man." Natsu murmured.

Lucy let out a sigh but couldn't help but agree. It was Makarov's fault they were in this mess anyway.

_Makarov took his place on top the Fairy Tail bar so he could be clearly visible. "Listen up brats," The elderly man waved his arms to get everyone's attention. "Starting now none of your that are to compete either as a single mage or on the team are to use magic. Save up your energy. Now for what you've all been waiting for, the decided team."_

_ Glints were obvious in some eyes. Other mages barely had the will to contain their anticipation. _

_ "Looking at your training results, I have decided to pick the seven team members from them."_

_ Excited murmurs ran through the guild. All except a few, a handful of wizards that weren't sure about the event to begin with._

_ "First off, Natsu." Makarov pointed his finger to the mention mage. Said dragon slayer let out a war cry and let flames shoot from his mouth. _

_ "I'M ALL FIRED UP!"_

_ Makarov smiled at the enthusiasm before continuing. "Our first S-Class mage, Erza." The scarlet nodded her approval at the decision. "Our second S-Class mage, Laxus" The blond raised a thin eyebrow but didn't voice his opinion. "Next, Lucy." The celestial mage hung her head and muffled her complaint. Why her? "Fifth, Wendy. Six, Gajeel." Both dragon slayers showed their agreement to the decision. One smirking, the other acting much like Lucy. "Juvia will take our last position of official player."_

_ "Eh? Juvia?" The water mage blinked her surprise._

_ Lucy let out a laugh. "Looks like you're stuck with us."_

_ "As for our emergency player, in the event that one of the main members cannot compete, I've decided on Mirajane."_

_ The white haired barmaid gave a small smile accompanied by a wave. "Do your best, everyone."_

"Darn old man." Lucy muttered.

Happy flew past her, flapping his pearl white wings in glee. "Natsuuuuu, let's explore."

The dragon slayer jumped up and followed his feline companion. Erza watched the two leave. "Make sure you're back to the lodge before it gets too late. We need you well rested for tomorrow." If the fire mage had heard her was one thing, if he listened was another matter.

Lucy glanced down at the map of the town she had brought with her. Her eyes skimmed for a place she herself could head to. "This sounds interesting." The blonde pointed to a spot on the map reading sauna.

Wendy and Erza glanced over to her. "Very well, shall we indulge?" Titania asked, brushing a strand of scarlet behind her eaar.

"Yosh! Let's go!" Lucy exclaimed.

Wendy followed meekly behind the two older girls. Truth be told, she couldn't wait for the day to be over and for the games to start. Despite everything that happened last year she was still enliven about this time. "Lucy-san, do you think this year will be as thrilling as last year?"

The blonde shrugged. "I hope not. Or at the very least I hope we don't get involved."

Erza smiled at the two. "I'll have to disagree. A little excitement is wanted."

"As long as Fairy Tail doesn't get involved in anything destructive…"Lucy sighed.


	7. Chapter 7

**I do not own Fairy Tail. Enjoy the chapter, everyone. **

* * *

Erza raised her arms above her head, stretching out her muscles. Her signature Heart Kreuz armor was hung off her shoulders and covered her chest and stomach. Her long scarlet hair was tied up and flowed down behind her, not in her way. She looked and acted as the Queen of Fairies should. Elegant with menace dripping sweet as honey.

She did a quick check over on each of her fellow teammates. Natsu was energetic as ever. Laxus was impassive, contrast to Lucy and Wendy who looked as if they were about to be sick. Juvia was shuffling nervously, and Gajeel was smirking with a smile that said he'll gladly rip your limbs off. She really had to admire Master's choice. It wasn't a perfect team, for it to be they would have to have…well they would have had someone who wasn't here.

"Alright, listen up." Seven sets of eyes were turned and set on an approaching figure. Master Makarov was walking up to them; Mirajane was beside him with a clipboard in hand. "Tryouts for guild teams start any moment now, remember the strategy we came up with."

Mirajane gave them an encouraging smile. "Only ten guilds may reach the finals at the end of the day. According to the statistics Mavis rolled out for us, our team as a twenty-three percent chance of making it to round five of ten. She'll be watching the other teams and reevaluate our strategy during the break today." The white hair beauty fumbled with the top of her clipboard and pulled a piece of paper from the fasten on top. She passed it over the Erza to take. "You'll be needing this to show the judges."

Erza raised an eyebrow at the parchment. The number two three seven was printed in bold letters across the page. "What is this exactly?"

"That's our guild number. The game administrators decided to go by numbers until to official games. This way none of the guild names will get confused."

"Two hundred thirty-seven?" Lucy read over the scarlet's shoulder. "Mira, how many guilds are competing?"

"Hmm," The barmaid tapped her chin in thought. "I believe…around seven hundred. Or is it eight hundred? Then there's the single mages that want to participate. But you don't have to worry about them."

Lucy swallowed the lump forming in her throat. "Lucky for us…"

"I'm all fired up!" Natsu exclaimed. "Just watch, we'll show them who's boss!"

Makarov nodded his approval. "Very good. Now go win that prize money- I mean show them what Fairy Tail's made of!"

"Ganbatte, minna!" Mirajane smiled.

* * *

"Here's your number," An elderly man slid a card across the table. "The first challenge starts any moment now. The top ten single mage competitors will be part of the official games. If you survive the day you'll be one of them."

Ur took the card from the old man. She nodded her understanding and left. The man watched as she walked away. All day he's been seeing mages far older and clearly more experienced. Now a little girl was competing? Was this some sort of joke?

Excited and nervous murmurs and cheers were deafening around her. Ur pulled the cloak she had "found" earlier closer around her shoulders. The hood covered her face but she could still clearly see everyone around her. She silently surveyed the mages treading about. Most of them were exclaiming about how they would win. Cocky bastards.

She spent the night developing her game plan. It had its faults, but it had all the core elements of a perfect strategy. Surprise was her main one. She knew several different types of magic other than ice make. She planned on reserving her ice make abilities until the main games. That way any other contestants that were watching as carefully as her wouldn't predict it.

"Being drunk is not man!"

Ur sighed, some of these competitors were beyond strange. The one who yelled caught her attention though. She wondered if he was as strong as he looked. Thick muscles described his whole body. Spiky white hair stood from his head and a scolding look was on his tan face.

"Lighten _*hic_ up Elfman _*hic_."

"You have got to be kidding." Ur muttered under her breath. A woman with long brown hair was staggering back on forth, wearing nothing more than pants and a bikini top. Intoxicated didn't begin to describe her.

Ur sucked in a deep breath when the woman moved closer into her line of sight. A black mark was clearly visible on her abdomen. The man next to her turned and the same mark was visible on his neck. "Master was counting on us to compe-"

"Oh, forget it." The girl leaned on her for support. "Let Freed or Lisanna do it for me. _*hic _I'm going to hit the bars."

Ur shook her head in disbelief. She had only ever heard stories, but that was it. "Dad's old guild, huh?" Ur watched as the white haired man dragged the drunkard away. So that's where this world was. "The famous Fairy Tail…not how he described it."

She smirked and walked in the opposite direction the two mages had gone off in. Wasn't what she would have expected, nor was she interested. But her father did say the guild was full of wizards worth looking up to. A challenge wouldn't be a bad idea…

Alright…she'll take down everyone one of those mages.

…

* * *

Tara fumbled with the string tied around her neck. The metal restraints were making it uncomfortable to reach behind her, her wrist felt as if it would snap in two. She tugged on the cord and felt an inch come undone. She yanked a little harder and the thread came undone completely.

She grinned, finally, success.

She pulled the necklace from around her neck and tossed it onto the ground in front of her. A dragon pendant clinked against the stone floor and rested there. Smoke began to rise from it less than a moment later and before she knew it a scaly tail was hitting her on the back of her head.

Tara bit her lip to keep from crying out and alerting the guards that were posted down the hallway leading from her cell. Malachi watched her calmly, unconcerned for her.

"Human…couldn't you have managed to not get yourself kidnapped. I thought even you could handle that simple task."

Tara hung her small head in defeat. "I'm sorry…" The reptile lay down on the cold floor next to her. "Malachi…can you help me?"

"No."

Tara looked over at the dragon in surprise. "But I need your hel-"

"I'm well aware of your situation." He cut her off. "But as it stands, I cannot. Originally I was positioned to work in Arian. As a result I set most of my magic concentration in that dimension. I can do nothing more than be summoned while here for the time being."

"But…" Tara blinked back the tears forming in her eyes. She didn't want to be here. It was dark, and terrifying, and…she didn't need a third reason.

"Later," Malachi muttered. "I can help later on when my magic builds up here…but right now nothing more than this is possible." Tara nodded her understanding. Guess it had been too much to ask…

* * *

Gray ran a hand over the rough surface of the mountainside. What used to be smooth rock was now jagged and in the shape of a crater, victim of warfare. He rested his palm against the rocky surface. He sent a wave of magic energy into the rock and closed his eyes in concentration. He felt his magic pulse and bounce back to him, knocking of the compact earth, letting him know it was stable.

He snapped his eyes back open and turned to the group of men waiting behind him. "It's safe."

One of the captains nodded and motioned to the battalion standing behind them. "Move out!"

The ice mage watched as the first few men took their steps forward before doing do himself. Despite his announcement he made sure to have defensive and earth mages on the outside of the squadron. That way if there was a landslide they wouldn't be devastated.

Gray took his place in front of his men. He wasn't happy on this decision, not by a longshot. But the choice was go around the mountain and take a month to get to the battlefield (which was time they didn't have) or cut straight through the valley pass and take a day and a half.

It wasn't the safest route, but if it got them there on time then it was good enough.

* * *

Wendy dropped to her knees as she exited the battlegrounds. Her chest burned from lack of air and bruises covered her thin body. A sharp pain was embedded into her leg and her arm was badly scrapped up.

A hand reached out and grabbed her own hand, pulling her to her feet. She steadied herself against the other person carefully. "Thanks, Romeo."

He grinned at her. "Don't mention it. So how'd it go?"

Wendy took in a few deep breaths before replying. Romeo helped her limp to where most of the guild members were gathered for the break. Natsu and the others were exiting the battleground behind them, following in their path. "Pretty well…Natsu and the others did most of the work though…"

Romeo gave her an encouraging smile. "Don't worry about that. I'm sure you did great too."

"Natsu!"

"Happy!"

The blue feline leapt into the arms of his friend. Natsu ruffled the soft fur. Happy glanced up at him with hopeful eyes. "Did we do it?!"

Natsu beamed at him. "You bet we did! We're moving on to the final elimination round!"

The small cat gave a cheer and Natsu laughed at his enthusiasm. He strode over to where all the other guild members were settled. Most of them were eating a quick dinner; others were exchanging stories about what rounds they made it to and whether or not they would be moving on.

The dragon slayer grabbed a plate of steaming food Mira handed to him before seating next to the already seated Lucy and Erza. "I thought that went swimmingly." Titania commented. Lucy shook her head in disbelief. The scarlet was a barbarian in battle.

"How'd everyone else do?" Natsu asked between bites.

"In the single trials?" Lucy asked. Natsu nodded. "I believe Elfman said he made it past the first few trials before he was eliminated. Cana didn't make it as far… I think Lisanna made it the farthest."

Erza raised an eyebrow. "I thought Bickslow, Evergreen, and Freed were in this as well?"

"They were." Lucy sighed. According to what Lisanna told her a moment ago this was harder than the S-Class trials. "Oh, and Natsu, Porlyusica is healing everyone before we continue. Make sure you see here." The pinkette shivered at the thought of the elderly misanthrope. Now surviving her should be a trail by itself.

Master Makarov watched his children chat about gleefully. Things have been going well enough, he supposed. A scribbling sound caught is attention. He glanced over and watched Mavis scrawl across countless pages. Mathematics he didn't understand being written and scratched out.

"How's it going, First?"

Mavis crumpled up a piece of paper and tossed it aside. "I think we should rearrange our strategy. Make it stable instead of keeping it scrambled."

"Stable?"

Mavis nodded. "We form a block. Lucy and Wendy will take defense. Everyone else will be on offense. Minus the exception of Juvia. She'll do best being our movable player."

Makarov leaned over and glanced at what the first master was currently working on. She was jotting down every statistic on the remaining opposing players. He let out a low whistle. There couldn't be another soul on this planet capable of what she was doing.

…

* * *

Ur watched silently as wizards milled about. The trials had gone by too fast. Most of the mages were easy in taking them down. Less than a third of those who started out were still capable of moving. Now only the mages worth being serious against were left. From those she was able to single out the wizards with a fighting chance. She mentally went about predicting the future movements of the mages. Tactician didn't being to portray her.

She was going to win this.

…

* * *

Erza stood up and brushed some of the dirt off the back of her skirt. "I believe it's time we be going."

Natsu stuffed the last bit or food into his mouth and got up after her. Bandages were freshly placed on his wounds and he felt good as new thanks to the medic. Mavis had explained the new game plan and he could already feel his blood boiling.

Lucy sighed and got up along with them. She could already spot other guilds making their way back to battleground. A groan escaped her at seeing they all looked tougher than the last group. In the past few hours people have tried to fry, drown, slice, and snap her in two. She wasn't thrilled about doing for a few more.

She watched in dismay as the two male dragon slayers strode over to the battlefield smiling like they both have been invited to have tea.

"They're insane…every last one of them."

"I'm sure they're just motivated." Erza remarked.

"For causing a bloodbath."

"Aw, come on Luce," Natsu turned back to grin at her. "I'm sure you'll love it if you just give it a chan-"

The two females watched as Natsu left his mouth hanging up. It wasn't like him to stop in the middle of a sentence. The fire mage slowly tensed and sniffed the air. A serious look was on his tanned face, one they didn't see very often. Lucy and Erza glanced at each other, trying to make sense of their friend's sudden change in mood.

"Natsu…" Lucy started. "Is everything okay?"

The dragon slayer didn't reply. He breathed in the deep air. A frown crossed his face at not finding what he was sniffing for. "It's nothing. I just thought I smelled…never mind." Natsu turned back and strode over to the field, his happy demeanor disappearing with each step.

Lucy sent Erza a questioning look. The scarlet just shrugged. "Leave him be, it's probably just pre battle jitters."

"Natsu doesn't get nervous…"


	8. Chapter 8

**I do not own Fairy Tail.**

**Sorry this took so long, but have you ever had that that feeling where you went, "I wrote a sentence...that's good enough for now." Writing this chapter was like that, so if it feels disconnected or whatever that's why. Enjoy anyways. **

* * *

"That concludes today's wizard trials. Decided competitors will meet at the game arena tomorrow for the first official day."

Ur watched the announcer from her position on the field. She had to admit, the competition had proven to be considered troublesome. Each of the single mage contenders were beyond average, one or two of them she'll actually have to get serious against. Then there was the other problem...

Her azure eyes were fixated on the elderly game administrator making his way from the announcement box and off the tattered grounds. She pushed past the tightly packed bodies of beaten mages in her way and strode over to him. When he was in arms reached she tapped his shoulder. The older spun around, looking at who stopped him from his departure.

"Yes? What is it?"

* * *

…

"Three cheers for Fairy Tail!"

Makarov shouted loud enough most of the visiting mages across the now ruined pasture could hear him. Applause from his brats rose up when the triumphant team came into view. Grins were plastered on the faces of each teammate, showing their pride in their own achievement. Even if bruises covered their faces their good mood was as obvious as the sun on a clear day.

Natsu couldn't contain his happiness at seeing the whole (almost whole) guild waiting for them. He flashed them all a dazzling smile. "Just wait until tomorrow. Then we'll really show them what we're really made of."

"Aye sir!"

Lucy rubbed her sore back, scraps visible across the light skin. Everyone was in such a fantastic mood now while she felt like she'd been stampeded on. She longed for the hot water of a bath. By the look of the rest of the team she wasn't the only one. Natsu might be smiling but grime streaked his cheeks. Then there was the smell of the sweat. At least there wasn't anyone from Sorcerer Magazine here. She wouldn't be caught dead looking like this.

She blinked her somnolent eyes at the moving people in her guild. The group was heading off the field, probably going to celebrate Fairy Tail style. Not wanting to be left out she unenthusiastically followed. Hopefully they wouldn't be out long.

…

* * *

"Are you insane!?"

The games commissioner had been yelling loud enough half the mages still on the field had turned to watch them.

"The games weren't designed that way for a reason. Guilds fight guilds, single mages stick to single mages."

Ur waited until the man's red face turned a shade lighter before continuing. "I understand that. But the games are to look for the best and we can't do that if-"

"Absolutely not!" He cut her off. "If the guilds are split up into single players we would have far too many competitors. Things stay the way they are."

"Listen to the kid." Ur snapped her head over to who had spoken. A mage she recognized as one of the ones who made the cut was approaching them. He was lean and stood above average height. There was a look of disgust permanently on his features. The abnormally tall man stopped a few feet away from the arguing two. The ice mage narrowed her eyes at him, recalling what she'd seen him do during the trials. His magic was as ferocious as his dark look. "It's a good idea, and it would give all the spectators something to talk about, this unexpected turn of events."

The overseer took a moment to reply. "It would be…difficult to do in such short notice. As for the spectators, it is what they're looking for. But the mages will never agree to this."

"Ignore what they say." Ur stayed silent as the man stepped in again. "We can't say who the best mage is if we don't fight each other. If they're any good they'll put up a fight."

"But lone mages can't keep up with a whole guild te-"

"Then they'll do rather poorly in this, don't you think?"

The field was silent enough you could hear a bird take flight. Onlookers had stopped moving, observed in the conversation. The commissioner's face had returned to its normal color, replaced with a contemplating look. "I suppose…the idea could be debated before tomorrow. But…" The old man bit his lip, deciding if he should continue. "It'll be debated. That's all I'll say on the matter." With that the administrator turned on his heels and walked away.

The taller mage smirked. "I think it's been decided."

* * *

Gray shuffled the papers around, straightening them, his feeble attempt to keep the war tent organized. A coughing sound made him look up. A private was standing in the tent opening, trying to get his attention. He nodded, indicating the subordinate to say what he must. "The man you requested is here, sir."

"Bring him in."

The subordinate left, going to retrieve the said man. The ice mage stuffed the files into his top drawer. The foot solider Leoncio sent out to be an inside man had come back. He wanted no distractions when he asked him what he found. He caught someone entering the tent from the corner of his eye.

Gray stared at the person coming in, caught off guard. He had expected a captain to have been sent out on this. Instead a kid that was hardly eighteen came in. He had bright red hair and tan features. He had a lean frame and the ice mage could feel magic ran through him. Gray felt himself sadden looking at him. Thick gauze was wrapped tightly around his eyes, concealing them from sight.

The two watched each other for a moment, or at least one of them did. The teen was more or less standing still with his head almost turned in Gray's direction. "There's a chair right in front of you." Gray mentioned. "If you need help I can-"

"No, I'm fine." The teen held up his hands in a 'no' type gesture. He slowly reached out, patting along the table surface and side, until finally finding the chair next to it. He cautiously pulled it out and patted the seat, then gradually lowered himself down. Gray eyed the sightless teen carefully. A wizard emblem was located on the teen's shoulder, no doubt the reason he _had _been sent.

"So, Mr…"

"Katen."

"Katen, when you were clandestine you reported that you couldn't find any suspicious activity. Are you positive about that?"

The teen tapped his chin in thought. "You know…" he drawled. "It was actually kind of strange. For the most part no one talked about anything. Except for a couple guys that mentioned one or two things about some sort of project. That was it though."

"Project?" Gray questioned.

Katen nodded. "The night before I was supposed to head back to camp I decided to check out exactly what they meant by that. I got pretty close before I was attacked. That's when this happened." He tapped the gauze over his eyes. "After that I had to escape before it got too serious. I tried destroying everything on my way out; don't know if I did though."

Gray raised an eyebrow. Not that the blind mage could see it. "I'm sorry, did you say destroy?"

The teen gave him a sheepish smile. "Yeah, kind of a habit of mine. I'm sort of reckless that way." A few moments passed in silence. Katen squirmed in his seat, wondering if he had said something. "Why? Should I have not done that?"

The ice mage gave a laugh. "Don't worry about it. You just remind me of someone I used to know that had that same habit."

The teen let out a relieved sigh. "That's good. I thought I made you mad for a second."

"You're fine" Gray reassured. "If you could spare a while longer, could you describe the building they were using? As far as layout goes."

"I can do better. I can try to draw you a map if you've got anything to write with." Gray opened the desk drawers once again and pulled out a blank page. He slid the material over to the younger mage, followed by a pencil he had dug up. Katen ran a hand over the desk until he found both. He sloppily began to sketch. "The second floor was where they kept the project. Next to that was this sort of charging room." He drew two messy rectangles on the page. "Then there was a series of rooms underneath." He drew a deformed pentagon that might have meant to be a square next. "There was also this sort of passageway that leads from there to a nearby village. That's where they get all their supplies." He scribbled a few last shapes and lines on the page before sliding it back over to the ice mage.

Gray studied the paper for a moment. It looked more like a chicken wrote this instead of a person. Then again for a blind man it was pretty detailed. "Thank you, Katen."

"No problem." The teen stood back up. "Umm…could you tell me which way the exit is? I kind of forgot already."

Gray smiled to himself. He kid was just forgetful as his old friend too. "Straight behind you."

"Thanks old man."

The ice mage frowned. _Old?_

* * *

Wendy trudged back to the crowded lodge she was sharing with all the other guild members. Her long, deep sky blue hair blew behind her, tangles forming where ground in grime from the day was smeared. The dirt had been wiped off her cheeks but until she got to that warm shower she'll feel like she was pulled behind a train. Carla flew lazily behind her, making sure her lifelong friend wouldn't collapse on the solitary streets.

The she-cat bit her lip from verbally scolding the girl when she almost tripped. Fatigue didn't begin to describe the mage. Wendy looked like she couldn't even gather the strength to roar. She silently landed on the ground beside her.

"Wendy," She looked up into the human's tired brown eyes. "You shouldn't push yourself so far."

The dragon slayer let out a sigh, too weary to discern if that was a warning or a threat. "Everyone's trying their best. I have to too; the guild's counting on me."

Carla let out a sigh. She gave the blue haired girl a sweet smile nonetheless. She wouldn't admit it out loud, but she was unbelievably proud of how far the dragon slayer had come since they first joined their guild. She was a little bolder and more persistent then she was when she was younger.

Wendy continued walking forward with the white feline close behind. Carla froze in her tracks when a familiar feeling washed over her. She blanked out and her vision went dark. Vivid pictures flashed through her mind, imprinting their selves into her keen memory. An audible gasp left her, catching the attention of her companion.

Wendy looked down at the feline, concern in her eyes. "Carla…" She kneeled down so she was closer to her friend's height. "What did you see?"

The sky mage's voice snapped her out of her premonition. She blinked a few times to clear the images out of her head. "It's…nothing. Let's get back already." The cat brushed past the blue haired female. Wendy watched her small comrade for a moment. It wasn't often Carla had a vision she didn't tell her about, but when she did…

Wendy put the idea out of her head. Maybe it was just 'nothing.' She stood back up, following the Exceed back to their temporary residence.


	9. Chapter 9

**I do not own anything.**

**This chapter took forever, because I'm an idiot, who didn't realize I now have no time to write. Plus, I hate fight scenes. Enjoy. **

* * *

Erza surveyed the jubilant scene taking place under the game arena. Her fellow guild mates were wishing the best of luck to each team member, the latter showing either their nerves or excitement. Including the old master, who kept muttering about the prize money, like no one knew that they were only doing this for their expenses. The knight sent a quick glance over the team, all appeared to be in fighting condition. No mishaps had happened during the night like the last games they were entered in. Satisfied with her findings she stabbed a fork into her strawberry cake, the metal making a 'plink' against the ceramic.

"Should you really be eating that before the event?" Lucy remarked, watching the scarlet munch happily on her baked treat.

"Nonsense." Erza answered between bites. "A healthy breakfast is what gives you energy to do your best for the day."

"That qualifies as healthy?" The blonde grumbled. The scarlet didn't reply, just continued taking bite after fluffy bite. The celestial mage rolled her brown eyes before moving onto something not so claptrap. A high pitched squeal that she could proudly say wasn't from her drew her attention. The guild's resident water mage had her eyes widened staring off in a distance direction. Lucy squinted, trying to make out what she was seeing. "Well what do you know…"

A tall, somewhat smug wizard was walking towards them. His spiky silver hair hung down in a few strands and stood up at odd angles. Despite this and his usual icy stare he seemed content and rather, dare she say it, merry.

"As beautifully as always, Juvia-chan."

Lucy snickered as a bright red blush spread across the water mage's face. The newly arrived mage might have realized his affections weren't returned a year ago, but that didn't mean he could stay away for long. A very stunned Juvia was only able to make out a feeble. "Lyon-sama."

Lucy gave her a sympathetic smile before looking back at the ice mage. "Didn't expect to see you here."

Lyon raised a slim eyebrow. "You didn't think Fairy Tail would be the only guild from Fiore, did you?"

"Ju-Juvia will not fraternize with Lyon-sama! Juvia is waiting for her one true love to return."

Lucy sighed and let the two be. Juvia usually said something similar whenever the ice mage visited the guild, and Lyon wasn't one to sweep Juvia off her feet when the man she was so devoted was absent.

Lucy did a quick check over to make sure her keys still remained by her side. Any moment now the teams will be called out one by one to make their appearance. The last thing she wanted was being forced to compete without her spirits.

Cheers could already be heard through the stone walls surrounding them, the crowd of spectators sounding their impatience. The celestial mage could just make out the voice of the referee starting the opening ceremony. A tap on the shoulder made her spin around. Lucy glanced down at a games administrator looking back at her.

"Excuse me; Miss, would you happen to be a part of your guild's team?"

Lucy gave the other a questioning look. "Yes, I am."

The administrator handed her a piece of paper with a number on it, identical to yesterdays. "This is your team number. It's been decided names will not be used until later on."

Erza glanced over at them. "A number? I've come to understand we would use are actual guild name starting today."

The administrator offered a helpless shrug. "There's been a change."

* * *

Ur nervous fingered the necklace around her neck. The silver sword pendant cool against her already freezing skin. The first few guild teams had already entered the stadium. Single mages like herself would come next. She pulled the hood of her cloak down, trying to hide her face. As far as she was concerned she wanted to win these damn games then leave without anyone remembering her.

* * *

Natsu grinned wildly when a set of double doors swung open and the arena lay before him. He could hear a deafening applause. He and the rest of his team strode out into the opening. A fairy emblem could be seen on each of their clothes, representing their guild.

He droned everything out after that. Logic told him he should be observing the other teams, but he didn't use strategy. He'll just wing it when he fought another mage. For the time being he took in the scenery. Thousands upon thousands were watching them. His grin widened at the thought of spreading his guild's (somewhat infamous) name.

Natsu snapped out of his thoughts when a hint of a smell that used to make him instantly both irritated and emulated came to him, the same as yesterday. It was clearer now, closer. He turned trying to locate it. It wasn't exactly like his friend and rival's. It was similar but only in part. Like how the Strauss' smelled similar. But this was even less than that. He looked over to where the single competitors were, none of which he recognized. This couldn't have been Gra-

"Natsu pay attention!" Lucy scolded. The dragon slayer blinked down at her in surprise.

"What?"

"Have you even been listening?" The blonde rolled her eyes. "They just said they were making a change to the games. Honestly, don't space out so easily."

"Change to the games?" The dragon slayer glanced over to the still speaking referee in the middle of the grounds.

"-will all compete against each other, guilds and single mages alike. This way we can truly find the world's best wizard." The dragon slayer blinked once more, unsure of what he heard. "However, since our number of competitors in one category just doubled we need to eliminate a few before we can move onto our planned games."

Natsu leaned forward, his attention captivated.

"Both today and day two will be devoted to doing this. Five groups and five mages will be taken out of the games all together. On day three will we hold another opening ceremony where we will tell each guilds' title and competitors' name."

The fire mage cursed under his breath. He was fine with more competition. It was not saying their guild name that irked him.

"With that, we begin our first of the two elimination battles of the mages. May all the single mages take the field."

A hand clamped down on his shoulder. Natsu glanced down at Lucy who was trying to steer him towards the stands. He reached down, trying to pry the fingers off. "What? I thought we were fighting?"

The celestial mage shook her head at him. "You should really listen more. This round is for single mages only. We compete tomorrow."

* * *

Ur swung an ice coated fist towards an unsuspecting mage. Miscellaneous magic types flew overhead, some nearly grazing her side. She rolled to her side when a beam of magic was aimed at her. The orderly demeanor of the contestants that had been present moments ago no longer existed. Battle cries mixed with the thickening air, adding confusion to the fray.

She ducked as magic came past where her head used to be. She moved further to the side, gathering her own magic. Lucky for her she had "inherited" both types of magic from her parents. The result was she could mimic a perfectly balanced unison raid single handedly.

One hand landed onto her open palm, her molding position. The air temperature rapidly dropped down to below freezing, cold enough for breath to be visible in the air. Ice sprang forth from her hands, swirls of energetic magic encased in the crystal. The mage that meant to hit her seconds ago dropped to the ground on contact, their eyes rolling to the back of their head.

An announcer from somewhere called out the fallen mage's number, indicating he was out of the game. Ur ignored the voice, focusing solely on the situation at hand.

…

* * *

Lyon watched the fighting from the stands along with the rest of the guild mages. Nine mages remained on the grounds, that number dropping every few minutes. He held in his envy. Each mage moved swiftly and their level of power was worthy of awe. It wasn't often he admired a mage for their magic. He had only done it a handful of times in his life, now he was dumbstruck.

His cold eyes moved over to a cloaked figure holding their own on one side of the field. They were shorter than the rest and if he could see their face no doubt younger. What caught his attention was their magic. Ice make magic seemed to be their main go to. He silently marked them as a potential future opponent.

His eyes narrowed as he was able to make out their hands even from this distance. It really was captivating. He muttered a quiet pardon to one of his guild mates and left the stands.

…

* * *

Iced lances shot forward, sending opponents back. The number left was coming to five, only six other mages remained on their feet. The rest had fallen at other's hands and haven't moved since.

Ur casually backed as another attack headed for her. A frown was etched on her face as she watched the wizards still fighting. They weren't fighting full out, holding back instead, probably not wanting to waste their power on something so easy. That was the problem. She couldn't find out their full extent of their power like this.

She rolled to the side, evading another attack. A cry could be heard as the shot that was meant for her hit another wizard, dropping the figure one above the desired end piece.

She formed a quick ice shield for the next defensive move. A magic force bounced of the surface, leaving her unscathed. She moved her hands to her sides, breaking the crystal into hundreds on knife-like icicles. Moving her palms forward they followed suit, flying out and embedding themselves into sides of unaware wizards.

One of the mages she hit stumbled, their knees threatening to buckle. A blast of magic that didn't come from the ice mage was the finishing blow to them. The crackle of the announcement box could be heard as the administrators added a final word.

Ur dismissed listening after they announced the end of the round. To be honest the match had gone by too fast for her taste, but the last thing she wanted as to be in public eye longer than she had to. She made her way back to the rooms leading from the arena.

* * *

Natsu grumbled incoherent words under his breath. Just his damn luck. He gets promised a week of brawling and in place was sitting down as everyone else had all the fun. He'll have to go all out tomorrow. Show everyone Fairy Tail is capable of fighting every time.

* * *

She pulled her hood off when she entered the dark lit hall. A few stragglers milled the hallways, walking about. She felt the air drop a degree or two when she passed by one.

"Ice make is an interesting magic, isn't it."

Ur stopped and glanced over to who had spoken. A man not yet in his thirties was watching her, a feeling of magic parallel to her own coming from him. Long, silver hair spiked down in front of his pale face. The younger mage stared at him silently for a moment before turning back to leave. "I suppose."

"How's Gray?"

Ur stopped moving and froze. She narrowed her darkening eyes at the stranger. "I believe you have me mistaken for someone else."

The stranger narrowed his eyes back at her. "As I said, interesting. The beauty of ice make magic is that every caster's pose is unique. That's what I was told, anyway. The only exception I've ever seen was when I met a daughter of an ice mage that used the same magic as her mother's. They had the same technique." He let an unreadable expression cross his face. "Curious how you match the same pose as someone I know, don't you think?"

Ur kept silent for a moment more before answering. "As I said, you have me mistaken. You must have missed some detail." The female ice mage turned away, putting distance between her and the questioning man.


End file.
